Smoking in the South East
- Around 20% of people smoke in the South East - this is slightly lower than the national level, but there are a number of areas where it is much higher
- over 44,000 people were admitted to hospital with smoking-related conditions in 2003/04, costing the NHS £238 million
- an estimated £370 million is lost to business due to sick days taken as a result of smoking
- an estimated 32% of those who are the least affluent are current smokers, compared to 19% of those who are the most affluent
- around 70% of current smokers want to quit
There are both economic and personal costs associated with smoking. For the individual, the length and quality of life are affected. For NHS, there is the high cost of treating smoking-related illnesses. For business, a considerable number of working days are lost through illness and hours are lost at work through cigarette breaks. There are also the additional costs of sickness and invalidity benefits provision, fires, litter and environmental damage.
A more detailed overview of the impact of smoking and tobacco use in the South East can be found in the Choosing Health in the South East: Smoking report and the accompanying Going Smokefree in the South East summary report.
The Department of Health's tobacco control programme
In 2003 the Department of Health introduced a six strand action plan, and asked for regional tobacco control strategies to be developed. The six strands include:-
- helping smokers to give up
- reducing second-hand smoke
- health promotion through education and media
- reducing tobacco promotion
- addressing labelling and regulation
- tackling taxation and smuggling
The national tobacco control programme is being delivered in the region through a Framework for Action on Tobacco Control in the South East. The framework provides a coordinated approach to tobacco control with involvement from key partners who are working to address tobacco cessation, prevention and control. It also provides guidance for the development and performance management of tobacco control measures, including smoking cessation.
There are 16 stop smoking services in the region offering support to those who want to quit in the South East. Around 44,000 people successfully quit smoking with NHS services in the South East in 2007/08. Tobacco control action is being undertaken by Tobacco Control Alliances across the regions. Alliances are the partnership bodies that develop and deliver locally agreed action plans for tobacco control. Partners include health, local authorities (trading standards and environmental health), customs and excise, the fire service and other key partners.
Age of Sale for Tobacco
As of 1st October 2007 the law for selling tobacco changed. It became illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 (an increase from 16) in England and Wales. The change in law also came into effect in Scotland from the same date. Products affected include cigarettes, cigars, tobacco for roll your own and pipes as well as rolling papers. This is an importance change because:
- One in two lifelong smokers will be killed by their addiction.
- The younger a smoker starts the more likely they are to be killed by their addiction.
- Someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times as likely to die from cancer due to smoking than someone who starts smoking in their mid-20s.
More information is available at the tobacco age change website.
Smokefree England - One Year on
Smokefree legislation was introduced in England on 1st July 2007. This has been an overwhelming success with 98.5% compliance in the South East Region in the first year. Research amongst businesses and consumers clearly suggests that the nation has quickly adapted to, is benefiting from, and is showing growing support for the smokefree law in England. In July 2008 the Department of Health published a report examining the impact of the smokefree law, one year on since it was introduced.
More information & full report
Consultation on the Future of Tobacco Control
The Cancer Reform Strategy 2007 announced the Government’s intention to consult on the next steps in tobacco control and the further regulation of tobacco products. This took place between 31st May and 8th September 2008. There were 4 main areas in the consultation:
- Reducing smoking rates and health inequalities caused by smoking: including tackling the supply of cheap illegal tobacco in our communities.
- Protecting children and young people from smoking: reducing young people’s access to tobacco, reducing exposure to tobacco promotion, and protecting children from secondhand smoke.
- Supporting smokers to quit: including NHS stop smoking support, increasing accessibility of stop smoking services and their take up, especially among high smoking prevalence groups, supporting young smokers to quit, supporting pregnant women to quit.
- Helping those who cannot quit: considering the potential of a harm reduction approach in tobacco control for people whose addiction to nicotine makes it extremely difficult to quit.
A summary of consultation responses will be published in December 2008.
Read the consultation document.
Picture Warnings on cigarette packs
New picture warnings, which include pictures of rotting teeth and lungs, throat cancer, and a heart operation, will start to appear on cigarette packets from 1st October 2008. This visual wake-up call is expected to be even more effective than written warnings and it is hoped will encourage more smokers to quit and prevent younger people from starting.
Picture warnings will begin appearing on cigarette packs from 1 October. For other tobacco products, they will start appearing from 1 October 2010. By 1st October 2009, all cigarette packs sold in the UK must feature the warnings.
A list of the warnings and their visual representations is available on the Department of Health website.
For further information about the tobacco control work taking place in the region contact
Jo Locker, the South East Policy Lead for Tobacco Control.
