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** 02 July 2021
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** UK
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** The reason why young people are taking up smoking after a 40-year decline in smoking rates (#1)
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** E-cigarettes more helpful than nicotine replacement treatments for dependent smokers, study reveals (#2)
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** Plans to eliminate public health nursing in Hampshire have sparked outrage (#3)
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** International
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** Philip Morris International announces agreement to buy nicotine gum maker Fertin Pharma (#4)
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** Links of the Week
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** Recruitment: Programme director London tobacco alliance, London Borough of Tower Hamlets (#5)
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** Trade and public health: a lack of coherence and consistency (#6)
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** Podcasts: Let’s talk e-cigarettes (#7)
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** UK
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**

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** Smoking has been on the decline for years, and in 2019 the previous Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out a plan to eradicate it across England by 2030, in a green paper on health prevention. However, according to a recent study conducted by Future Health, founded by Richard Sloggett, a former policy adviser to Hancock, the surge in young people smoking in the past year has reversed the 40-year decline. The proportion has jumped from a quarter to a third in the last year, particularly for out of work men.

Based on the analysis provided by the think tank, its forecasts show that 7% of adults are expected to be still smoking by 2030, and we could see an extra 600,000 smokers in England than we did previously. As a result, Sloggett believes that it would be “virtually impossible” for the Government to reach its 2030 goal unless it takes “drastic and immediate action” towards implementing change.

In efforts to eradicate the “tobacco epidemic” earlier this month, MPs also demanded that the legal age for cigarettes to be sold should be increased to 21 from 18 to help younger smokers quit and protect children and young people from becoming smokers in the first place. Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive at ASH, which works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco, has also been advocating for this. Although she acknowledges: “When you have a group of young people navigating such a turbulent time [as the pandemic], you will also find turbulent smoking habits.” She refers to a Smoking in England study run by academics at University College London, which shows that “a lot more young people are moving in and out of smoking.” And although some may have relapsed due to lockdown, “there is some indication from the data that you’ve got people starting for the first time.”

Kyle Sowden used to be a social smoker until the coronavirus pandemic hit. In March 2020, during the first lockdown, the 25-year-old was furloughed from his job. He started to drink more to cope with the stress of possible unemployment, which meant he also began to smoke more. It was also the boredom that came with being holed up in his home in Cardiff that led Sowden to smoke more without even realising it at first until it became an unwanted addiction that he is still trying to give up.

Like other young people in the UK, Sowden regrets smoking in the first place, “especially because of the amount of money I’ve spent on cigarettes.” He admits that if he had not spent the first lockdown under his parents’ roof, having his normal routine disrupted, it would have been a different story. “One that wouldn’t have been so detrimental to my health.”

Source: The Telegraph, 1 July 2021
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Read Article ([link removed] )


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** According to the results of a clinical trial by the Queen Mary University of London, e-cigarettes are more effective than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in achieving long term smoking reduction and cessation.

The study researchers enrolled 135 smokers who had been unable to stop smoking with conventional treatments. They were randomised to receive either an eight-week supply of NRT (nicotine patches, chewing gum, nasal/mouth spray and inhalators) of their choice or an e-cigarette starter pack, with instructions to purchase further e-liquids of strength and flavours of their choice. Products were accompanied by minimal behavioural support to quit smoking.

The study found a significant difference in smoking reduction (including quitting altogether) in the e-cigarette group. After six months, in the e-cigarette group, 27% of the participants had reduced their smoking by at least half, compared to 6% of participants in the NRT group. A significant difference was also found in rates of stopping smoking altogether, confirmed by carbon monoxide readings from participants’ breath - 19% of participants in the e-cigarette group had quit smoking versus 3% in the NRT group.

Dr Katie Myers Smith, the lead researcher, said: “These results have important clinical implications for smokers who have previously been unable to stop smoking using conventional treatments. E-cigarettes should be recommended to smokers who have previously struggled to quit using other methods, particularly when there is limited behavioural support available.”

Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “This study shows e-cigarettes can be a very effective tool for people who want to stop smoking, including those who’ve tried to quit before. And research so far shows that vaping is far less harmful than smoking. But e-cigarettes aren’t risk-free, and we don’t yet know their long-term effects, so people who have never smoked shouldn’t use them. It’s important to switch over completely to get the benefits and reduce your risk of cancer. Talk to your GP or free, local stop smoking service about finding the best option for you.”

Source: Medical Xpress, 29 June 2021

See also: Addiction - E-cigarettes versus nicotine replacement treatment as harm reduction interventions for smokers who find quitting difficult: Randomised controlled trial ([link removed])
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** Proposed cuts to health visiting and school nursing services in Hampshire will put children at risk of harm, two nursing organisations have warned in letters to the council and national body leaders.

The joint letters, sent by the Institute of Health Visiting (IHV) and the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA), represent the latest attempt to try and block the Hampshire plans as they warned that the proposals were an “important national test case”. One of the letters to Public Health England (PHE) noted that the cuts were the consequences of insufficient funding and system levers, alongside a lack of prioritisation of prevention and early intervention at all levels. Last month, Hampshire County Council opened a consultation to save £6.8 million from the public health budget for 2021-22, which it said related to “ongoing reductions in local government funding.”

It proposed to make the savings across four areas, including 0-19 public health nursing, sexual health, substance misuse treatment and stop smoking services. According to the consultation, which closes on 9 August, the county council wants to reduce the budget for public health nursing by £2.09 million a year. To do this, it has proposed to cut the number of staff posts available to support families by approximately 47, equivalent to 12.5% of the current workforce.

Sharon White, chief executive of SAPHNA, said: “We have seen a number of recent and significant cuts to health visiting and school nursing services with more planned; this must stop. We have more than enough evidence to demonstrate that our public health practice can and does make a vital difference. Hampshire’s proposals are radical, dangerous and a disservice to its population,” she said. “We cannot and must not accept this.”

The two organisations urged as many people as possible to “have your say” on the proposals by responding to the consultation, noting that the council was seeking resident and stakeholder views.

Source: Nursing Times, 1 July 2021

See also: Hampshire Public Health Consultation 2021 ([link removed])
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** International
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** Philip Morris International (PMI) announced yesterday (1 July) it has agreed to buy nicotine gum maker Fertin Pharma for 5.1 billion Danish Krone ($ 813.1 million), as it looks to build its smokefree portfolio.

Fertin Pharma products include chewing gums, tablets, and powders used for pharmaceutical- and nutraceutical applications and helps people quit harmful cigarette smoking.

Philip Morris has invested more than $ 8.1 billion over the years to develop smokefree products, an area of business that it believes “will one day replace cigarettes.” It plans to generate more than 50% of its revenue from smokefree products and at least $1 billion from products beyond nicotine by 2025. The company also focuses on its heated tobacco product IQOS as people move away from combustible tobacco products like cigarettes.

The deal is expected to close later this year.

Source: Reuters, 1 July 2021
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Read Article ([link removed])


** Links of the Week
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**

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** London Borough of Tower Hamlets, on behalf of the London Smoking Cessation Transformation Programme, is currently recruiting for a Programme Director for the London Tobacco Alliance. The post is 0.6 Full Time Equivalent and initially on an 18-month fixed term contract or secondment.

The post holder will work with partners to establish this London-wide Smoke Free Alliance and support the development and delivery of a London tobacco control strategy.

The application deadline is 11th July 2021.
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Apply Here ([link removed] )


**
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** PETRA has published a position paper examining the Internal Market Act 2020 and the implications for public health measures. The paper explores the lack of consistency between what the Government says are its objectives to improve public health, and the highly restricted framing of the protection of public health as a legitimate aim in the Internal Market Act (IMA).

The paper concludes that civil society pressure is likely to be required to ensure that action is taken on the wider determinants of health.
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Read Report ([link removed])


**
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** Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Thomas Brandon. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches and review findings.

Professor Brandon from the University of Southern Florida and the Moffitt Cancer Center talks about his team’s new study published in Lancet Public Health. This study is a randomised control trial and investigates the effect of tailored advice to dual users of combustible and electronic cigarettes on how to use their electronic cigarettes to quit smoking. This targeted self-help intervention resulted in modest increases in smoking abstinence over 18 months, with stronger treatment effects predicted by higher baseline levels of cigarette dependence. The study indicates that dual users could benefit from specific interventions that capitalise on their ongoing e-cigarette use.

Jamie and Nicola will include the results in their Cochrane review. For more information on the study see: [link removed]

See also: Cochrane Library - Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation ([link removed])

Also available on iTunes and Spotify.
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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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