Smokers in French-speaking Switzerland should be able to quit thanks to Facebook
This spring, thousands of smokers in French-speaking Switzerland are expected to quit smoking thanks to Facebook. A campaign to that end is being launched in all French-speaking cantons.
Initial trials in Valais last fall were encouraging. "Between 4,000 and 6,000 French-speaking Swiss could stop smoking thanks to Facebook," hopes Roland Savioz, who designed the prevention project. In a trial in Valais in September, around 1000 people signed up and over half of them stopped smoking. The project, launched by various prevention organizations in French-speaking Switzerland, relies on positive pressure from groups. Anyone who wants to quit should join the relevant group in their canton of residence on Facebook by the first day of spring on March 20. Participants will then receive advice on quitting smoking for six months.
The trick of the program is that the participants are not alone. "The physical craving for a cigarette lasts about three minutes," Alexandre Dubuis, coordinator of the program in French-speaking Switzerland, told the media in Neuchâtel on Wednesday. Facebook instead of a cigarette During this time, people wanting to quit should go on Facebook, write comments and read other people's experiences until the craving has passed. The organizers have set their sights on a target group between the ages of 26 and 34. The Tobacco Prevention Fund is financing the program with CHF 600,000. The cantons are to contribute the same amount. According to the organizers, the project will not initially be extended to German-speaking Switzerland. (SDA)
