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** 20 June 2023
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** UK
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** Marmot: ‘Regressive’ funding cuts worsened health inequalities (#1)
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** Merseyside and Cheshire health officials call for vape ban (#2)
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** Opinion: Start treating ultra-processed food like tobacco (#3)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Written questions (#4)
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** UK
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** Marmot: ‘Regressive’ funding cuts worsened health inequalities

Cuts to local government funding had a direct impact on health inequalities, Professor Sir Michael Marmot said this morning.

Responding to questions on the health inequality landscape prior to the pandemic at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in London, Professor Marmot said, “the funding of the healthcare system was inadequate post 2010”.

Professor Marmot, professor of epidemiology and public health at UCL, described the reduction in funding for social care as “regressive”.

He told the inquiry that the impact of cuts to local government funding had a deeper impact on more deprived areas which in turn had an impact on the amount of funding channelled into health and social care in those areas.

The inquiry also heard that in the decade following 2010, the UK saw a slowing of life expectancy and a worsening of health inequalities.

Kate Blackwell KC, a counsel to the inquiry said: “Slowdown in life expectancy in the UK during the decade after 2010 was more marked in the UK than in any other rich country, other than Iceland or the USA.”

Source: LGC, 16 June 2023
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** Merseyside and Cheshire health officials call for vape ban

Health officials have joined forces to condemn the rise of disposable vapes and the "disgraceful" tactics tobacco companies use to target children.

Nine directors of public health operating in Cheshire and Merseyside are calling for a country-wide ban on sales of disposable vapes.

The government said it was taking "bold action" to crackdown on youth vaping.

Last month it was announced a loophole allowing retailers to give free vape samples to children is set to be closed.

The nine directors are from the council areas of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Warrington and Wirral.

They said they were worried about the "negative impact vaping can have on health and wellbeing, especially amongst our children".

The group said it understood vapes can help people stop smoking, but added it was "unacceptable that colourful, covetable, plastic vapes are permeating children's lives and setting them up for a life-long dangerous smoking habit".

They branded attempts to make vapes "cool" among children "disgraceful".

"We have no doubt that aggressive marketing and advertising strategies from tobacco companies, like offering a variety of enticing flavourings and colours, are to blame."

The Department of Health and Social Care said: "While vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, it is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping - particularly the use of disposable vaping products.

"We launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products, exploring a range of issues including the marketing and promotion of vapes. The call for evidence has now closed, and the government will be considering a range of options based on the evidence provided.”

Source: BBC, 20 June 2023

See also: ASH – Youth vaping consultation response ([link removed])
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** Opinion: Start treating ultra-processed food like tobacco

Writing for the Times, William Hague, former MP for Richmond and now columnist for the Times, discusses the way we will look back at government inaction on tackling foods high in salt and sugar with “incredulity”.

Hague begins by comparing the current situation with highly processed foods to that of the discourse that surrounded tobacco control in the 1950s and 1960s where mounting evidence of harms was ignored by the government of the time. Likewise, Hague states that he believes future generations will also be shocked that policy makers allowed the surge in obesity and diabetes to continue for so long.

Hague points to mounting evidence that suggests foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) are causing a host of problems, including driving childhood obesity as now nearly a quarter of 11-year-olds are clinically obese. He goes on to say that this is not a matter of personal choice, rather it represents a failure of public health policy which exacerbates inequalities.

The author discusses the new obesity drugs which he states can help, but that we can’t put “millions of young children on drugs for ever”. Instead, Hague recommends more policies such as the levy on sugar in soft drinks introduced in 2016 as drinks were reformulated. He also mentions the delays in policies such as the banning of ‘buy one get one free’ junk food offers and restrictions on advertising to children.

Hague concludes by saying that there can be no successful health strategy, levelling up strategy, economic growth strategy or small-government strategy without a comprehensive food strategy.

Source: The Times, 19 June 2023
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Written questions

Asked by Andrew Gwynne, Labour, Denton and Reddish

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of local authorities have a specialist stop smoking service open to all smokers.

Answered by Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health

There is no official data on whether local authorities have a specialist stop smoking service open to all smokers.

Source: Hansard, 19 June 2023
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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.

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