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Vapes are twice as good as nicotine-replacement patches and gums at helping smokers quit, landmark review concludes
Vapes are better than nicotine-replacement patches and gums at helping smokers quit, influential researchers ruled today.
Oxford University researchers found that smokers using electronic cigarettes are twice as likely to give up the habit for six months.
The 290-page Cochrane Review included 78 studies in over 22,000 participants, 22 more studies since the last update in 2021.
Cancer experts welcomed the report, which adds to the growing pile of evidence that shows e-cigarettes are effective quitting tools.
But the authors warned non-smokers not to take up vaping because “they are a relatively new product and we don't yet know the long-term health effects”. Author Dr Nicola Lindson, a psychologist at the university, said the products carry only a small fraction of the risk of smoking but aren't “risk free”.
Currently, the NHS advises that vaping can help smokers – though it is not available on prescription. But England is set to become the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes to help smokers quit, if Government plans are given the go ahead.
Lead author Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce said: “Electronic cigarettes have generated a lot of misunderstanding in both the public health community and the popular press since their introduction over a decade ago. For the first time, this has given us high-certainty evidence that e-cigarettes are even more effective at helping people to quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapies, like patches or gums.”
Source: Daily Mail, 17 November 2022
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Plans to name Bristol street after cigarette brand vetoed
Plans to name a new road after a cigarette brand have been cancelled following objections from health campaigners.
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has vetoed the city council's proposals to call a development Navy Cut Road.
The name relates to a product manufactured at the Imperial Group tobacco factory, which used to stand on the Bishopsworth site.
Mr Rees said the administration "will not name streets after tobacco brands".
Conservative ward councillor Richard Eddy said the council should come up with a more "gritty" name reflecting its industrial heritage and the council then proposed four alternatives, all based on Imperial tobacco products, with Navy Cut Road agreed by all.
However, cancer charities and campaigners including Action on Smoking and Health called the name "morally unacceptable" and Mr Rees has since stepped in to block, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
The council said the new name of the road will be announced in "due course".
Source: BBC, 16 November 2022
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ASH Scotland: Support to tackle harms of smoking
Local community groups and charities are being invited by ASH Scotland to apply for a package of tailored support to improve mental, physical and financial well-being by tackling the harms caused by smoking.
As part of its initiative encouraging support for Scotland’s Charter for a Tobacco-free Generation by 2034, the health charity is offering community groups a small grant of £500 to cover salary, travel or material costs associated with engaging people in their community about the harms caused by tobacco.
Successful applicants will have access to free expert advice, training and resources to increase their staff and volunteers’ knowledge of smoking issues, and assistance to create an action plan to deliver their charter pledges.
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said local organisations are ideally placed to carry out the campaign.
She said: “Community groups are embedded in their local areas and their staff and volunteers are widely trusted.
"ASH Scotland recognises they have a vital role to play in improving people’s health and well-being through helping to address the long-term threats of smoking tobacco.
Source: Angus World, 17 November 2022
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Chancellor delivers Autumn statement
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has delivered an autumn statement setting out the Government’s spending priorities over the coming years. The key points for health are summarized below.
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Increased NHS budget by £3.3 billion in each year for the next two years.
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Additional £1 billion grant funding for adult social care this year, and £1.7 billion next year.
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The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS will publish an independently verified workforce plan, outlining the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals needed in 5, 10 and 15 years, taking “full account” for the need of better retention and productivity improvements.
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To help get debt falling, for the years beyond the current Spending Review period, planned departmental resource spending will continue to grow, but slower than the economy, at 1% a year in real terms until 2027-28.
Source: HM Treasury, 17 November 2022
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Parliamentary Questions
PQ1
Asked by Andrew Gwynne, Labour, Denton and Reddish
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the levels of vape use in secondary schools.
Answered by Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
NHS Digital's ‘Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, 2021' published in September 2022, shows that current regular and occasional use of e-cigarettes in 11 to 15 year olds is at 9%. The data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/smoking-drinking-and-drug-use-among-young-people-in-england/2021#summary
It is illegal to sell a vaping product to anyone aged under 18 years old.
Source: Hansard, 16 November 2022
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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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