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'Smoking was costing me in more ways than one'
A retired lorry driver who smoked up to 50 cigarettes a day said his decision to quit after 60 years had been "life-changing".
John Peacock was 16 when he first started smoking, describing it was "the norm" in the 1960s, with his habit going on to cost him up to £400 a month in later years.
But the 76-year-old from Thirsk said when he was told his heart was failing earlier this year he realised it was time to stop.
The council's Living Well Smokefree team offer free personalised service for six to 12 weeks to help smokers quit, which includes access to a local stop smoking advisor, a supply of nicotine replacement therapy and weekly one-to-one sessions. Mr Peacock shared his story as part of the annual Stoptober campaign.
Figures from Action on Smoking and Health UK estimate that there are currently between 45,000 to 53,000 smokers in North Yorkshire, while figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest about six million adults smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2023.
According to the NHS, around 64,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses in England each year. Quitting can bring immediate health benefits, external and improve lung function and circulation.
North Yorkshire's director of public health, Louise Wallace, said: “Quitting can be difficult, but evidence shows you increase your chances of success with the right support, which is where our Living Well Smokefree service comes in.
"No matter how many years you have smoked, it is never too late to give it up.”
Source: BBC News, 14 October 2024
See also: NHS - Stoptober
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Banbury woman is one of scores kicking the smoking habit for their babies
Zarah Jaggs, 32, is nearly three months smoke free and is encouraging others to give up smoking, having received ‘outstanding’ support from a specialist maternity service launched by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) earlier this year.
Zarah is one of more than 100 pregnant women being supported on their smoking cessation journey by the OUH Specialist Maternity Tobacco Dependency Service, which opened to referrals in January.
Smoking is the single greatest modifiable risk factor for poor outcomes in pregnancy, with nearly one in ten women still smoking when their baby is born.
Mother-of-three Zarah, who is expecting her next baby in January 2025, has smoked most of her life and was referred to the service through her midwife.
Her treatment has included weekly nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) meetings and the use of a vape and chewing gum. She started smoking as a ‘crutch’ to deal with stress before it became ‘a habit I couldn’t break’.
But now, Zarah is nearly three months smoke free and, speaking during Stoptober, is encouraging other pregnant women to get the support they need.
Source: Banbury Guardian, 14 October 2024
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More adults in Barnet smoke – despite the UK smoking rate falling to record low
More adults in Barnet were smokers last year, new figures show – bucking the trend across the UK. It comes as public health charity Action on Smoking and Health urged the Government to bring forward its bill to end the sale of tobacco and to create a generation “free from the harms of smoking”.
Based on the 221 respondents to the Office for National Statistic’s annual population survey in Barnet, an estimated 8.9% of adults in the area were smokers in 2023 – up slightly from 8.4% the year before.
The figures also showed 20.9% of adults in Barnet were ex-smokers, while 70.2% have never smoked. Across the UK, smoking levels reached their lowest level since national records began in 2011, with 11.9% of adults saying they smoked cigarettes. In London, 11.7% smoked.
ASH chief executive Hazel Cheeseman said the figures are proof the country is “ready to be smoke-free”.
She added: “There is cross-party support for ending the sale of tobacco and creating a generation free from the harms of smoking and Government should bring forward the bill as soon as possible.”
Despite the progress, she said there is still more to be done.
She added: “Our poorest communities continue to pay the price for tobacco company profits, as do our public services and economy.
“Alongside creating a smoke-free generation, the Government must maintain the commitment of the last Government to invest in support to help the 6 million people currently smoking to quit.”
Separate figures from the ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey found around 5.1 million adults aged 16 years and over (9.8%) used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in Great Britain last year.
E-cigarette use was highest among people aged 16 to 24 years, with 15.8% using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally.
Professor Nick Hopkinson, respiratory physician and chairman of ASH, said: “Vaping has helped millions of adults quit smoking and is much less harmful than smoking.
“However, it is not risk-free and high levels of use among young people and growing use among never smokers is a concern.”
He said the new bill must provide a “tough” regulatory framework to control the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes.
“We need to reinforce the role of vaping as a tool to stop smoking, not a lifestyle accessory,” he added.
Source: Barnet Post, 14 October 2024
See also: ONS - Opinions and Lifestyle Survey QMI
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Opinion: Wes Streeting - Widening waistbands are a burden on Britain
Writing in The Telegraph, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting, discusses the rise in obesity in the UK, the pressure it is putting on the health system and collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to tackle the issue.
Streeting states that obesity costs the NHS “£11 billion a year” and “it’s holding back our economy”. He draws attention to those who are unable to work due to illnesses as a result of obesity.
Streeting argues that in order to address this issue, there is a need to work “in partnership with business, civil society, and all of us as citizens to make real progress”. He announces that the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, Lilly, has invested “£279 million” to explore “new ways of delivering health and care services to people living with obesity, and a five-year real-world study of a cutting-edge obesity treatment.” A pilot has been announced which will recruit up to 3,000 people with obesity, those in and out of work and those on sickness leave, who will take part in a five-year study exploring whether taking certain medication will boost productivity and bring people back into the workplace.
Streeting wants to the UK to continue to be the world leader in “next generation medicines” and the government will introduce reforms to the NHS to work more closely with life sciences to encourage the development of new effective treatments.
He goes on to highlight the role of drugs in tackling obesity: “weight-loss jabs” that will be “life changing, help them get back to work, and ease demands on our NHS”. However, Streeting also states that people need to “take healthy living more seriously” and that the “NHS can’t be expected to pick up the tab for unhealthy lifestyles.” The government will also be “banning junk food adverts targeted at kids” and reforming the NHS so “it catches problems earlier and prevents them from worsening.”
Source: The Telegraph, 14 October 2024
See also: Unemployed could get weight loss jabs to return to work
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Written questions
Asked by Paul Davies, Labour, Colne Valley
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to help ensure that tobacco duty contributes to the costs of (a) tobacco control and (b) public health initiatives.
Answered by James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Labour, Ealing North James
The UK has some of the highest tobacco duty rates in the world, payable at £316.70 per thousand cigarettes, plus 16.5% of the retail price and £412.32 per kilogram for hand rolling tobacco. These have helped to support a significant fall in smoking prevalence over the last 10 years to 11.9%. The Chief Medical Officer considers them a key part of the wider anti-smoking strategy. The government is also funding more smoking cessation services. This includes providing an additional £70 million per annum for local Stop Smoking Services, working to ensure all NHS hospitals offer 'opt-out' smoking cessation services and delivering the national Smoke-free Pregnancy Financial Incentives scheme and the Swap to Stop scheme. As with all taxes, the Government keeps tobacco duty rates under review during its Budget process.
Asked by Satvir Kaur, Labour, Southampton Test
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to require all vaping products to be (a) sold in plain packaging and (b) kept out of sight behind the counter.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care), Labour, Gorton and Denton
As set out in the Kings Speech, the Government will soon introduce legislation which will impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes and stop future generations from becoming hooked on nicotine. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will give ministers\' powers to regulate the flavours, packaging, and point of sale display of vapes. Further consultation and assessment will follow which will determine what specific regulations are brought in using these powers.
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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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