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** 27 July 2021
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** UK
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** Life expectancy is lower for white and mixed ethnic people than Black and Asian groups (#1)
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** Winchester MP Steve Brine’s Letter from Westminster (#2)
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** Philip Morris stubs out its heated tobacco stores (#3)
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** International
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** Smoking cessation after a lung cancer diagnosis reduces cancer progression (#4)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Parliamentary questions (#5)
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** UK
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**
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** The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published data that shows that white and mixed-race Britons had a lower life expectancy at birth than all other ethnic groups, and members of the Asian, Bangladeshi and black African communities generally lived the longest.

The study linked 2011 census and death registration data to produce estimates of life expectancy and cause of death by ethnic group. The life expectancy of white female Britons was 83.1 years, while men were expected to live for 79.7 years. Black African women had the longest life expectancy of 88.9 years, followed by Bangladeshi women (87.3). Asian men had the highest life expectancy at 84.5 years.

Researchers concluded that cancer and heart disease are the biggest killers, accounting for 61% of all male deaths and 53%of all female deaths in England and Wales. However, the proportion of fatalities these conditions are responsible for varies between ethnic groups, with the figure jumping to 64.7% of all black Caribbean men who died, while it dropped to 55% for the ‘mixed’ ethnic group. White men had the highest chance of dying from cancer, with 382 per 100,000 dying from the disease. Researchers said higher cancer rates and deaths among white people were often linked to lifestyle behaviour, such as smoking and drinking, which tended to be more prevalent among white people. Cancer deaths were lowest among Indian, Pakistani and other Asian groups.

According to the ONS, low heart disease rates among black people and a higher proportion of recent migrants in some ethnic groups pushed their life expectancy up. People who migrate tend to be healthier than others. But the experts noted that mortality rates changed significantly during the Covid pandemic, which disproportionately affected black and Asian ethnic groups.

Julie Stanborough, deputy director of health analysis and life events at the ONS, said: “Further research is required to investigate the reasons for the differences. However, these results reveal important patterns in life expectancy and mortality by ethnic group which are complex, but nevertheless consistent with most previous studies.”

Source: Daily Mail, 26 July 2021

See also: The Guardian: Life expectancy lower for white and mixed ethnic people than Black and Asian groups – study ([link removed])
The Telegraph - Ethnic minority Britons live longer than their white counterparts, study finds ([link removed])
ONS - Ethnic differences in life expectancy and mortality from selected causes in England and Wales: 2011 to 2014 ([link removed])
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** Writing in the Hampshire Chronicle, former Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Steve Brine MP, discusses the Health and Care Bill which was debated in the House of Commons last week (14 July).

Brine highlights the need for a greater focus on prevention to improve public health and expresses support for the measures in the Bill to tackle obesity. He cites the interventionist approach taken by the Government during the pandemic, stating: “We have a Government that has, until recently, made it illegal to leave the country and took a view on whether you could dance at a wedding – to protect the NHS - so don’t tell me we can’t help people live healthier lives through a focus on prevention. That is how you really protect the NHS.”

Brine notes that “smoking remains the biggest preventable killer in the UK today and kills some 90,000 people this year, next year, every year. We can wear a mask around a virus in a largely vaccinated population, but we sell cigarettes over the counter every day, and some people make a lot of money as a result.”

He urges the government to “revise and update tobacco control plan alongside these health reforms” in order to realise the ambition of a smokefree England by 2030.

Source: Hampshire Chronicle, 27 July 2021
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** Philip Morris International (PMI) has closed almost all of its recently opened shops in Britain for its heated tobacco brand, IQOS, two years after revealing ambitious expansion plans.

The tobacco company had opened about 16 IQOS stores, mainly across London, Manchester, and Bristol, and had said in June 2019 that it was considering opening hundreds of outlets in the country as part of its plans to drive sales of alternatives to combustible cigarettes.

The brand was fully launched in 2016 and generated net revenues of $6.8 billion last year, representing almost a quarter of Philip Morris’s business. However, there are signs IQOS is struggling to gain traction in the UK, where the government is seeking to make England “smoke-free” by 2030.

A source who worked on the IQOS store plans said PMI had opened about 16 stores, but at “the end of last year, the company decided to quietly close them — having spent millions on a failed retail strategy”. About 60 agency retail staff have been made redundant, according to the source. “This obviously raises questions about the commercial success of IQOS in the UK and if there is a demand for the product in this country,” the source said, adding: “PMI will argue that they no longer need the stores in the UK, online sales are growing, and they are now in the major supermarkets in the UK, but it’s still a big U-turn to close your retail footprint in the UK after just 18 months of operation.”

Source: The Times, 27 July 2021
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** International
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** According to a new study, lung cancer patients who quit smoking upon diagnosis live two years longer on average than those who continue smoking.

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organization performed the study in Moscow, Russia. They recruited 517 adults in the early stages of a lung cancer diagnosis. For an average of seven years each, participants were routinely interviewed by the research team to determine how often they smoked and other medical and lifestyle changes that may have occurred.

Researchers found that 45% of people diagnosed with lung cancer quit smoking cigarettes, and those who did lived on average two years longer than those who continued smoking. The effect held up regardless of tumour stage, how much the patient smoked or how long after diagnosis they quit.

Dr Mahdi Sheikh, the research lead, said with lung cancer, quitting smoking is “as necessary as the treatments. Doctors at every visit should encourage their lung cancer patients to quit smoking.”

Lung cancer is largely linked to tobacco use, so smokers may feel shame, despair and hopelessness after diagnosis, experts say. It can be welcome news to hear from doctors that they, too, can benefit from quitting. In the US, a $27 million National Cancer Institute program is helping 53 cancer centers integrate tobacco treatment into care. It has reached more than 50,000 patients since 2018.

Source: Daily Mail, 26 July 2021

See also: Annals of Internal Medicine - Postdiagnosis Smoking Cessation and Reduced Risk for Lung Cancer Progression and Mortality ([link removed])
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** Parliamentary Activity
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**
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** PQ1: Tobacco: Sales

Asked by Alexander Stafford, Rother Valley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for Public Health England completing its investigation into the sale of menthol cigarettes; and if he will publish preliminary findings of that investigation.

Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

Public Health England has issued an invitation to tender for the testing of a range of tobacco products. We anticipate the testing will be completed by the end of the year and we will consider publication when the testing has concluded.

Source: Hansard, 26 July 2021
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** PQ2: Tobacco

Asked by Alex Norris, Nottingham North

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when Public Health England’s investigation into menthol cigarettes will conclude; whether the testing of those products has commenced; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

Public Health England’s testing of tobacco products, as part of the Department’s investigation of possible breaches of the prohibition of menthol cigarettes, is ongoing. We expect this work to be completed by the end of the year.

We expect the tobacco industry to comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations in regard to the menthol cigarette ban that was introduced in May 2020. HM Revenue and Customs is able to apply a number of sanctions against retailers found selling illicit menthol tobacco.

Source: Hansard, 26 July 2021
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** PQ3: Obesity

Asked by Alex Norris, Nottingham North

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the impact of obesity on (a) people's health and wellbeing and (b) the NHS.

Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

We published ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity, takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan and sets out measures to get the nation fit and healthy, protect against COVID-19 and protect the National Health Service.

Actions include restricting the advertising of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products being shown on TV and online, restricting promotions of HFSS products by location and price, calorie labelling in restaurants, expanding weight management services and making conversations about weight in primary care the norm.

In July 2020, Public Health England launched the Better Health Campaign which promotes evidence-based tools and advice to help people look after their mental and physical health. The campaign shows adults the simple steps they can take to eat more healthily, increase their physical activity, care for their mental wellbeing and quit smoking. Change4Life and Start4Life programmes support families to eat well and move more with resources to motivate and encourage behaviour change including simple healthy eating messages, recipes and more.

Source: Hansard, 21 June 2021
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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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