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Party manifesto commitments on smoking, vaping and public health
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Haul of illegal vapes and tobacco found in raid
Hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes have been seized in raids in Derbyshire.
Trading standards officials say the hauls would have had a high street value of £256,000 had they not been confiscated.
Derbyshire County Council said the products were a mixture of counterfeit goods and items smuggled in to avoid duty.
Prosecutions could follow, the council said.
The authority declined to say exactly when and where the raids took place but said they happened in the last two weeks.
More than 1,000 cigarettes, rolling tobacco and more than 280 vapes, worth £6,000, were recovered from a premises in the Erewash area.
Council director Chris Henning said: "The latest seizures enforced by trading standards show the supply of illegal products is not tolerated in Derbyshire and action will be taken against those who continually flout the law.
"It is also acknowledged that the selling of cheap illegal tobacco can undermine efforts to help people stop smoking and can be a cheap source for children to start smoking."
Source: BBC, 21 June 2024
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USA: Paying obese teens up to £550 to lose weight helps them slim down, experts claim
Paying obese teens to lose weight is not only works but is cost effective, scientists claim.
Experts found young patients offered financial incentive to slim alongside low calorie meals lost more mass than those who weren't.
At the end of a yearlong experiment American researchers found children offered the cash reduced their body mass index (BMI) by six per cent more, on average, than those put on a diet alone.
Scientists, from a range of American institutions including the University of Minnesota, paid teens £15 for every 0.5 per cent of bodyweight they shed. The most cash handed out was £550 while the average was £260.
They claim their results show the approach is effective and point out the incentives offered amounted to far less than the price of treating obesity.
At the end of the year long trial results were compared and on average teens in the gift card cohort had reduced their BMI by an average of 2.4 points — six per cent of their bodyweight.
Not only that but the gift card group were more likely to keep the weight off after the study concluded and didn't show any signs of eating disorders despite being paid to lose weight.
UK estimates have calculated that a patient with a BMI of above 40 costs the NHS about £1,375 to treat per year due to increased health problems, like blood pressure and cancer, they suffer.
Patients with a BMI of 35-40 meanwhile cost the NHS £1,178. Meanwhile, the most spent on gift cards in the study was £550.
The latest childhood obesity data for England shows one in 10 children are too fat by the time they start primary school, rising to about one in four among Year 6.
Overall, obesity also takes a massive financial toll in the UK, with the resulting health consequences on loss working years, care costs, and price of NHS treatment costing the economy an estimated £100billion per year.
Experts have pointed to a lack of exercise, and poor diets high in ultra-processed food, as being key drivers in the UK's childhood obesity epidemic.
Source: Daily Mail, 20 June 2024
See also: JAMA paediatrics - Financial Incentives and Treatment Outcomes in Adolescents With Severe Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial
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What do the manifestos mean for cancer?
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has highlighted how each parties’ manifesto compares to the 5 pledges to beat cancer they set out in their own manifesto. The 5 pledges are:
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Back research: Set out a plan to close the more than £1bn funding gap for research into cancer over the next decade.
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End cancers caused by smoking: Raise the age of sale of tobacco and fund a world-leading programme of measures to help people who smoke to quit.
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Drive earlier diagnoses: Implement proven measures, including a lung screening programme, to diagnose cancers early and reduce inequalities in access.
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End the waits: Ensure cancer wait time targets are met across England.
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Lead on cancer: Publish a long-term cancer strategy for England and Establish a National Cancer Council, accountable to the Prime Minister, to drive cross-government action on cancer.
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Centre for Mental Health: Manifesto for a mentally healthier nation
The Centre for Mental Health has published policy ideas developed in collaboration with 60 other organisations with an interest in mental health. They aim to tackle the increasing levels of poor mental health in the nation.
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Party manifesto commitments on smoking, vaping and public health
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Scottish National Party manifesto
The Scottish National Party (SNP) published their manifesto on Wednesday which commits to:
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Reintroduce UK-wide legislation to create a smoke free generation and recommit to following the SNP Scottish Government’s lead by banning single-use vapes
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Tackle the drugs death crisis by taking a radical public health approach; decriminalising drugs for personal use and introducing a framework to allow Supervised Drug Consumption Facilities
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Treat problem gambling as a public health matter and take action to tackle the impacts of advertising
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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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