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Smoking in pregnancy increases risk of premature birth threefold, study finds
A new study by Cambridge academics calculated that women who smoked during pregnancy were nearly three times more likely to give birth prematurely compared with non-smokers – more than double the previous estimate. It also found that babies born to mothers who smoked were four times more likely to be small for their gestational age, putting them at risk of serious complications including breathing difficulties and infections.
The study also found no evidence that above average caffeine intake throughout pregnancy is linked to pre-term birth or smaller babies, contrary to previous advice.
This research, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, examined metabolites from smoking (cotinine) and caffeine (paraxanthine) in the blood samples of more than 900 women who took part in the Pregnancy Outcome Prediction study between 2008 and 2012.
Prof Gordon Smith, the head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Cambridge, said the findings underlined the importance of smoking cessation services. “We’ve known for a long time that smoking during pregnancy is not good for the baby, but our study shows that it’s potentially much worse than previously thought,” he said. “It puts the baby at risk of potentially serious complications from growing too slowly in the womb or from being born too soon.”
Responding to the findings, Fleur Parker, a senior practice coordinator at NCT, said that stopping smoking during pregnancy was beneficial to the health of mother and baby, but that quitting was difficult.
“For many women, increased anxiety about pregnancy, birth and life with a new baby can make it even harder to change the habits they often rely on to manage their anxiety,” she said and advised pregnant women to talk to their midwife for help’’.
Source: The Guardian, 28 September 2023
See also: Selvaratnam et al. 'Objective measures of smoking and caffeine intake and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes' International Journal of Epidemiology
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Poorest people in England will not be smoke-free until after 2050
The most deprived people in England will not be smoke-free until after 2050 – more than 20 years behind the Government’s target, a charity has warned.
In 2019, the Government set out an ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030.
Now, new analysis by Cancer Research UK shows the most deprived 10% of the population is expected still to have higher smoking rates in 2050 and will not be smoke-free by that date (defined as less than 5% of the adult population smoking).
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “It’s appalling to see that the most deprived communities in England are not projected to be smoke-free until after 2050.
“There are nearly twice as many cancer cases caused by smoking in the poorest areas compared to the wealthiest in England’’.
“There are nearly twice as many cancer cases caused by smoking in the poorest areas compared to the wealthiest in England’’.
“It’s been reported that the Prime Minister is considering raising the age of sale of tobacco – this has broad support and is something we would welcome. But we still need tangible action to help people who smoke quit.
“The autumn statement could be the perfect opportunity for (Chancellor) Jeremy Hunt, with cross-party support, to make the tobacco industry pay for the damage it causes.
“All political parties should agree on the critical steps to bring an end to smoking for everyone.''
Since the last UK general election in December 2019, tobacco has caused more than 200,000 cases of cancer in the UK, Cancer Research UK said.
Source: The Daily Mail, 28 September 2023
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Hundreds of Cornwall smokers helped to kick habit
Hundreds of smokers kicked the habit thanksto help from a campaign, Cornwall Council has said.
Healthy Cornwall's Stop Smoking service helped 799 smokers quit between April 2022 and March 2023, it said.
It is urging other smokers to do the same in a new campaign in October, called Stoptober.
In 2021, 11.5% of adults in Cornwall were smokers, but this number dropped to 10.3% in 2022, said the council.
According to the latest statistics from the charity Ash (Action on Smoking and Health), there are currently about 54,000 adult smokers in Cornwall, each spending more than £2,400 annually on their smoking habit.
Dr Ruth Goldstein, assistant director of public health at Cornwall Council, said: "More and more people are choosing to ditch the cigarettes, so why not join them and be a quitter? There's plenty of help too, so I would encourage all the smokers out there to stub out their habit this October."
Councillor Andy Virr, portfolio holder for adults and public health and a local doctor, said: "In my job, I see the devastation that smoking causes to people's lives all the time. For smokers, quitting is the single best thing you can do for their health, so why not make a change this Stoptober?"
Source: BBC News, 28 September 2023
Visit the Stoptober website for further information and support
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ASH Deputy Chief Executive Hazel Cheeseman discusses vaping on BBC radio show ‘Sliced Bread’
ASH Deputy Chief Executive Hazel Cheeseman appeared alongside Professor Ann McNieill in this conversation on BBC radio 4 programme 'Sliced Bread' to inform a discussion on vapes. The conversation focussed on the health impact of vapes and their effectiveness when it comes to helping people stop smoking, and considered this alongside environmental concerns about the impact of difficult to recycle disposable vapes.
Source: BBC Sounds, 28 September 2023
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International: ‘Feminist approach’ to cancer could save lives of 800,000 women a year
Health experts are calling for a “feminist approach” to cancer to eliminate inequalities, as research reveals 800,000 women worldwide are dying needlessly every year because they are denied optimal care.
Cancer is one of the biggest killers of women and ranks in their top three causes of premature deaths in almost every country on every continent. But gender inequality and discrimination are reducing women’s opportunities to avoid cancer risks and impeding their ability to get a timely diagnosis and quality care, according to a report published in the Lancet.
“The impact of a patriarchal society on women’s experiences of cancer has gone largely unrecognised,” said Dr Ophira Ginsburg, a senior adviser for clinical research at the National Cancer Institute’s Centre for Global Health and a co-chair of the commission.
“Globally, women’s health is often focused on reproductive and maternal health, aligned with narrow anti-feminist definitions of women’s value and roles in society, while cancer remains wholly underrepresented.’’
A second study published in the Lancet Global Health suggests 1.5m premature cancer deaths in women under 70 in 2020 could have been prevented with the elimination of exposures to key risk factors or via early detection and diagnosis.
About 1.3 million women of all ages died in 2020 due to four of the major risk factors for cancer: tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and infections. But the burden of cancer in women caused by these four risk factors is “widely underrecognised”, the report says.
‘’The tobacco and alcohol industry target marketing of their products specifically at women, we believe it’s time for governments to counteract these actions with gender-specific policies that increase awareness and reduce exposure to these risk factors.”
Greater scrutiny of the causes and risk factors for cancer in women is also needed as they are less well understood compared with cancer risk factors for men.
Source: The Guardian, 26 September 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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