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Opinion: People before profits: why we need a coherent health policy approach to tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food
In England, the harms from tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food have reached unacceptable levels. The damage caused by these products is serious and often grave. They are the leading risk factors for preventable death and disease such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and are key drivers of the stark health inequalities within our society. Alcohol alone is linked to more than 200 illnesses, including seven types of cancer. Deaths from alcohol are at an all-time high, having risen exponentially during the pandemic with a 27.4% increase between 2019 and 2021.
The growing burden of preventable disease threatens not just our health, but also our national health services and economic prosperity. Millions of hospital admissions every year are a direct result of illness caused by tobacco (506 000 admissions), alcohol (980 000 admissions), and obesity (1 020 000 admissions). These are demands that our NHS and frontline services are ill equipped to meet. Added to this, a recent report from Alcohol Health Alliance, Action on Smoking and Health, and Obesity Health Alliance lays bare the damage of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food to our economy. Nearly half a million people are unable to work because of poor health that results from these products, costing the UK economy an eye watering £31bn.
Simply put, as the levels of harm across the UK rise, so do the profits of these industries. We need the government to implement a comprehensive strategy to prevent ill health caused by commercially driven risk factors and redress the balance between industry influence and the public’s health.
To achieve this, we need a coherent policy approach to tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food, with a focus on primary prevention. This approach means targeting the availability, accessibility, and appeal of these products, to reduce consumption and prevent ill health. We can look at the ambitious work on tobacco of recent years to see the benefits of bold preventive measures.
Evidence shows that these commodities are sensitive to changes in price. Setting a minimum unit price for alcohol across the whole of the UK, combined with a robust tax system and restrictions on price promotions are some of the most effective methods available to reduce consumption and consequential harms.
The government must also commit to improving consumer information. The public has a right to know what is in the products they buy and any associated health risks so they can make informed choices about what they choose to consume. Comprehensive labels and mass marketing health campaigns are two tools, among many, that could help reduce harm by increasing knowledge of the health risks and prompting behaviour change.
Finally, a commitment to long term, adequate funding for treatment services, ensuring equitable access with a focus on communities and individuals who experience the worst harms, would improve health outcomes and prevent further harms.
The government must put the health of our nation before the profits of industry to protect our communities, the NHS, and the economy from the harmful commodities that are holding us back.
Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, Aalaa Jawad, public health registrar, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust
Source: The BMJ, 29 February 2024
See also: ASH, the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) - Holding us back: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink
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North-south wealth inequality in England on course to grow, report finds
Wealth inequality between the north and south of England is set to grow, with the gap reaching £228,800 per head by 2030, according to a thinktank report.
The Institute for Public Policy Research North’s annual State of the North report states that although the average wealth of people in England has grown from about £226,300 in 2010 to £290,800 by 2020, inequalities between regions have almost doubled in the same period.
“It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that we are headed in the wrong direction on inequality in health, wealth, power, and opportunity while local government finances languish in chaos,” said the report author and IPPR North research fellow, Marcus Johns.
The report identifies the north-east of England as having the lowest overall and average level of wealth in the country, with the relative level of median wealth being lower now than it was in 2006.
It finds that the highest level of wealth exists in the south-east of England, with average wealth per head being £415,200 – around £195,400 more than the north’s £219,750.
Wealth inequality is on the rise across the nation, with the IPPR report stating the richest 10% hold almost half of all wealth. However, inter-regional differences are evident as the relative levels of wealth inequality are higher in areas in the north than in the south-east.
The thinktank sets out some suggestions in the report, including to rebalance wealth by investing £7.6bn a year over 15 years across England’s regions and introducing a targeted wealth tax.
It also suggests investing £4bn of stabilisation funding into local authorities, increasing job opportunities nationally and implementing the IPPR Health and Prosperity Commission’s health and prosperity improvement zones, which will target communities who need the most healthcare.
Source: The Guardian, 1 March 2024
See also: The Institute for Public Policy Research North - State of the North 2024: Charting the course for a decade of renewal
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Weight loss drug could help people kick drug and smoking habits, research suggests
Weight loss drug could help people kick drug and smoking habits, a bombshell new study has suggested.
Researchers found the medication liraglutide – called Saxenda on the NHS to treat obesity – was also effective among those addicted to painkillers. Injections reduced drug cravings in the same manner they stopped someone's desire to eat. A testing programme was carried out on 20 people who were recovering from opioid addictions found patients had a 40% lower craving than those who were in rehab and others had no cravings at all.
Professor Sue Grigson, who was leading the research team at Penn State University, US, said: “We thought if the Ozempic-type drugs help people to feel less hungry, they could help people feel less motivated to take drugs. People in the trial had significantly less craving and they were more likely to experience zero cravings.”
Earlier studies found the treatment could also work for nicotine and cocaine addiction while other research pointed to a lower the risk of heart attack or stroke, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and dementia protection.
Source: The Mirror, 24 February 2024
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Authorities vow to further reduce smoking, second-hand smoke in Shanghai
Local authorities have vowed to work harder to further drop the smoking rate, reduce public exposure to second-hand smoke, and enhance protection for minors from the harm of tobacco.
The Shanghai Health Promotion Centre, which leads smoking control in the city, said it has set the aim of reducing the adult smoking rate to less than 18 percent and adult exposure to second-hand smoke to less than 36 percent by 2030.
The current smoking rate is 19.4 percent and the passive smoking rate is 41.7 percent.
Second-hand smoke exposure for children and minors is targeted to reduce to under 10 percent by 2030.
Shanghai has been playing a leading role in smoking control in China.
In March 2010, Shanghai became the first city in the country to approve legislation forbidding indoor smoking. The law was revised in 2016 to ensure a total ban. Shanghai has forbidden the use of e-cigarettes in public indoor places since late 2022.
Thanks to the legislation, strict law enforcement, and public education on the harms of smoking, the city's smoking rate has dropped by 7.5 percentage points since 2010 and the rate of smoking in venues where it is banned dropped from 37.5 percent to the current 12.3 percent.
Since banning smoking in all indoor public venues in 2017, Shanghai has imposed over 2.2 million yuan (US$305,700) in fines each year, totaling nearly 16 million yuan by 2023, the highest in the nation.
Source: Shine, 1 March 2024
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Tell us why ending smoking matters to you
ASH is holding an event in Parliament on No Smoking Day to bring together people whose lives have been impacted by smoking and young people who will benefit from the Government’s smokefree generation legislation. It will be an opportunity for MPs to meet local people and hear about why raising the age of sale and creating a smokefree generation matters to them.
We will also be using the event to commemorate loved ones lost to smoking related illness and highlight the impact smoking has had on people across the UK. If you have lost someone to smoking, you can send us a photo of them along with their name and brief description. You can also send us a paragraph briefly explaining the impact smoking has had on you/your loved ones and why creating a smokefree generation matters to you. These will be displayed on a screen as part of a series of during the event.
To submit a photo/personal story complete the form by clicking the button below. Please do so by Friday the 1st of March.
Submit button link: https://forms.gle/BAqkaY7LLzGjEFc99
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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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