|
|
|
|
Call for more action to curb teen vaping
A leading public health expert says more needs to be done to deter young people from vaping. Prof Linda Bauld, of the University of Edinburgh, said issues such as underage sales and the branding of e-cigarettes needed to be tackled.
It came as a BBC investigation found vapes confiscated from school pupils contained high levels of lead, nickel and chromium.
People under 18 can not legally buy a vape in the UK.
The Scottish government has said it will consider banning disposable vapes due to their impact on the environment. Zero Waste Scotland is conducting a review.
Prof Bauld - a social policy advisor to the Scottish government - said they should be made less attractive to young people but not banned.
Prof Bauld said there was balance to be struck, as vapes could be useful to people trying to stop smoking cigarettes.
"We know that legal products are hugely less harmful than smoking but there's a good reason why they're restricted," she said.
"Kids that are using these contraband illicit vapes probably have no idea where they come from or the fact that actually they're being exposed to things at higher levels than even in the legal vapes."
YouGov data for Britain suggests experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds rose from 5.6% in 2014 to 11.6% in 2023.
Prof Bauld said there needs to be a crackdown on underage sales and how vapes are branded.
"Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, we don't want to ban these as some countries have done but we do need to take some action that will level out which I think is tipping slightly towards the too attractive to young people," she said.
Source: BBC news, 23 May 2023
See also: ASH – 2023 youth vaping survey press release | ASH – Resources on youth vaping
|
|
Tories’ failure to tackle alcohol harm is causing public health crisis, say MPs
The government’s failure to tackle alcohol harm in England has led to a serious public health crisis affecting millions of people, MPs have warned.
Problem drinking is fuelling violent crime and costing the NHS £25bn a year, with the number of deaths almost doubling in two decades, according to a damning report by the public accounts committee.
Ministers are accused of slashing funding for support services by hundreds of millions of pounds, breaking promises of action and ditching policies aimed at resolving the crisis.
There has been an “alarming” increase in alcohol-related deaths, which have jumped 89% in 20 years, with sharp rises since 2019. At the same time, the number of people able to get treatment for alcohol dependency has been falling, MPs found.
Dan Carden MP, the lead member of the inquiry, said: “Today’s report lays bare the lack of political will to address alcohol harm.
The government’s record on alcohol harm is one of policies scrapped and promises broken.
Alcohol harm is a deepening public health crisis that affects us all and it is wrong and unfair to believe that it is only alcohol-dependent drinkers who are affected.”
Carden said: “Shamefully, it has been 11 years since the last government UK alcohol strategy. The measures set out in the 2012 strategy were, and remain, effective evidence-led health policies that prevent death, improve public health and alleviate pressures on our public services.
“The abject failure to deliver on promised initiatives has certainly contributed to tragic yet preventable levels of alcohol harm felt across the UK.”
The report says it is “surprising and disappointing” that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is not taking the crisis more seriously. The report adds: “A staggering 82% of the 600,000 dependent drinkers in England are not in treatment. This is despite success rates of about 60% and evidence that, on average, every £1 spent on treatment immediately delivers £3 of benefit and significantly more in the longer term.”
MPs welcomed a recent promise of £533m of funding for substance misuse services but warned that it was only a “short-term” fix.
Source: The Guardian, 24 May 2023
See also: Committee of Public Accounts – Alcohol Treatment Services
|
|
Eight out of 10 adults support ban on advertising junk food to children
Eight out of 10 adults support a ban on advertising unhealthy food to children on TV and online, new research for the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) suggests.
The collection of charities and health organisations, which includes the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Association of Directors of Public Health, Diabetes UK, Cancer Research UK, the British Medical Association and the Faculty of Public Health, is calling on the Government to increase its commitment to tackling obesity.
In December, the government announced that it was delaying a ban on junk food advertising before 9pm, to the dismay of health and obesity campaigners.
The new YouGov survey of more than 2,000 people for the Obesity Health Alliance found 79 per cent support a TV ban of unhealthy food to children while 81 per cent said the same about online.
The poll also found 68 per cent would support food firms being taxed for unhealthy foods if the money was spent on children’s health programmes.
Similarly, 79 per cent think the Government should be doing more to make sure healthy food is affordable during the cost-of-living crisis, while 77 per cent think the cash raised by the current sugar tax on soft drinks should be used directly to fund programmes aimed at improving children’s health.
The OHA said it is “deeply concerned” that unless bold action is taken, health inequalities across the UK will continue to grow and obesity will “pile” even more pressure on the NHS.
Source: The Independent, 23 May 2023
See also: OHA - Voters Feel Let Down by Lack of Action on Childhood Obesity
|
|
Ladbrokes owner funded ‘dishonest’ lobbying against gambling reforms
The owner of Ladbrokes, Entain, has been accused of “dishonest” lobbying after it funded an operation mobilising people to complain to their MP about proposals to change gambling laws.
The government last month unveiled plans for tighter regulation, including measures it said would make gambling safer but would also reduce revenue for brands such as Coral and PartyCasino, owned by Entain.
At the time, Entain’s chief executive, Jette Nygaard-Andersen, said the company welcomed “an important step towards having a robust regulatory framework that is fit for the digital age and creates a level playing field for all operators”.
But emails seen by the Guardian indicate that, despite supporting the white paper in public, Entain was funding a lobbying operation designed to water it down or overturn it.
Days after the white paper was published, an organisation called the Players’ Panel, which claims to represent the interests of ordinary gamblers, wrote to people who had signed up to receive information about its work. “The government has decided to limit when and how much you can bet,” said the email. “This is going to significantly impact your ability to bet responsibly.”
The Players’ Panel then urged the recipients to write to their MP opposing the reforms.
As the Guardian has revealed previously, the group is funded and managed by Entain. At no point in the emails did the group disclose this, although the company’s name can be found on the group’s website.
Carolyn Harris, who chairs a cross-party parliamentary group on gambling harm, said the lobbying effort was “shameful”.
“These emails reveal their true colours as they immediately try to undermine the proposals using covert and dishonest tactics.”
Source: The Guardian, 21 May 2023
|
|
Northern Ireland: Action demanded after report highlights almost £2 billion costs of alcohol, obesity and smoking
Alcohol, obesity and smoking are costing the north almost £2 billion a year, new research has shown.
Economic analysis of how the healthcare system and wider economy is affected by hospital admissions, GP visits and prescription costs related has highlighted the need to tackle the issues, charities have said.
A coalition of nine charities has called for "bold action" in the wake of the research, including tougher regulations for high-sugar foods and an "ambitious smoke-free target" for the north.
Compiled by economist Richard Johnston and commissioned by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) NI, the research shows that smoking costs an estimated £400 million annually, obesity £500m, and alcohol around £1bn.
Around £500m of the overall cost is healthcare expenditure, consuming 6.5 per cent of Northern Ireland's annual healthcare budget.
Joseph Carter of Asthma and Lung UK NI said: “Introducing an ambitious smoke-free target for Northern Ireland along with a refreshed tobacco control strategy will help provide smokers with the support needed to give it up for good.”
Source: Irish News, 24 May 2023
See also: BHF – Northern Ireland Non-communicable disease prevention
|
|
Have you been forwarded this email? Subscribe to ASH Daily News here.
For more information email [email protected] or visit www.ash.org.uk
@ASHorguk
ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
