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Local stop smoking services boost quit rates amid sustained demand
New data shows a record rise in successful quit attempts through local stop smoking services in England, with 128,000 people quitting in 2024-25 - a 23% increase compared to the previous year. Around 238,000 smokers made quit attempts using these services, reflecting growing engagement and the ongoing importance of accessible support.
Of those referred to stop smoking programmes, 71% made a quit attempt. People from routine and manual occupations represented the largest socio-economic group using these services. Additionally, quit rates were significantly higher among those using aids such as nicotine replacement therapy, medications, or vaping compared to those quitting unassisted.
John Waldron, policy and public affairs manager at ASH, emphasised the critical role of local services, noting that users are three times more likely to quit successfully, and called for continued investment to sustain access to effective quitting support.
See also: NHS England - Statistics on Local Stop Smoking Services in England - April 2024 to March 2025 (Q4, Annual) | ASH - New figures show record increase in people quitting with local stop smoking services
Source: The Dentist, 25 July 2025
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Gambling sector steps up lobbying amid tax reform fears
The UK gambling industry has intensified its political outreach in an attempt to influence Treasury plans to reform betting tax structures. With government proposals potentially increasing the overall tax burden on the £11.5bn-a-year sector, the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has launched a lobbying campaign that includes high-level meetings with ministers, shadow ministers, and advisers from both Labour and Conservative parties. The campaign also featured a social event targeted at Labour insiders, framed around a health partnership with Prostate Cancer UK.
Among the proposals under consideration is the harmonisation of tax rates applied to online and high street gambling products - a move met with resistance from the racing industry and some online operators.
Meanwhile, Labour critics are advocating for increased local authority powers to restrict the growth of high-street betting venues in vulnerable communities, and note that nearly one person a day dies from suicide linked to gambling addiction.
Editorial note: Media stories covering prevention of ill-health are being included in ASH Daily News because policy change in these areas is indicative of the Government’s position on prevention and their attitudes to harm-causing industries.
Source: The Guardian, 28 July 2025
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Heavy smoking associated with brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s-linked regions
A recent MRI study published in npj Dementia involving over 10,000 adults has found that heavy smoking is linked to reduced brain volume in regions important for memory and cognition, including areas affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Adjusting for BMI reduced the strength of the link between smoking and brain atrophy in some regions, however smokers still showed significant brain atrophy compared to non-smokers.
The findings highlight smoking and obesity as key risk factors for neurodegeneration and targets for dementia prevention. However, the cross-sectional nature of the study limits conclusions about causation.
See also: Meysami S, Garg S, Hashemi S, et al. Smoking predicts brain atrophy in 10,134 healthy individuals and is potentially influenced by body mass index. NPJ Dement. 2025;1:17. doi:10.1038/s44400-025-00024-0
Source: News Medical, 25 July 2025
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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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