Quarter of smokers in NL smoke more since start of pandemic

While the number of smokers in the Netherlands decreased somewhat last year, those who still smoke said they do so more often than before the coronavirus pandemic hit the Netherlands in March last year, according to a study by the Trimbos Institute.

According to the Institute, this is because the pandemic and its accompanying lockdowns disrupted people's daily rhythm. The government is also doing less smoking prevention, with most of its attention focused on the coroanvirus.

In the first wave of coronavirus infections, smokers who smoked more mainly said that this was due to boredom. In the second wave, stress was the main reason for people to smoke more, according to the institute.

"This is very worrisome," Marc Willemsen of the Trimbos Institute said. "It's always a good time to quit, but with a lot of stress it can be trickier. It is therefore extra important that people who want to quit receive good support."