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Opinion: Following, not leading? Politicians and public opinion on action to support better health
Writing for the King’s Fund blog, Sally Warren, Director of Policy at the King’s Fund, reflects on the notion that politicians often lag behind public opinion on public health. She writes that on many issues, the public frequently feel that the government should be doing more and calls into question the usual defence given by politicians: “the public don’t want action”.
As well as discussing the recent delay on the ban for buy one get one free offers for unhealthy foods, Warren highlights the opposition the ban on smoking in public places had from many MPs, despite having public support.
She points to evidence from the Health Foundation that shows fewer than one in five people believe the government is doing enough on a raft of public health issues and asks why politicians are hesitant to act even when public opinion is clear. Warren argues that while “there is often public mistrust of a nanny state, people tend to support specific government interventions like the sugar tax.”
She concludes by saying that politicians say they want to improve health but are reluctant to use the tools available to them, stating: “Politicians need to be braver and quicker to act boldly on how to help us all improve our health.”
Source: The King’s Fund, 23 November 2022
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Minimum unit pricing has led to drop in alcohol sales in Scotland, data shows
Scotland has seen a tangible reduction in alcohol sales in the three years following the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) when compared with England and Wales, a report has found.
Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow found that three full years after it was rolled out in May 2018, MUP was associated with a 3% net reduction in total per adult alcohol sales in Scotland, when adjusting for alcohol sales in England and Wales and other factors such as the covid-19 pandemic.
Experts said the study methods gave confidence that the reduction in sales seen in Scotland was down to MUP.
Lucie Giles, public health intelligence principal at Public Health Scotland and a co-author of the report said, “Our main finding was consistent across a range of different conditions as tested through our additional analyses. We can conclude that, across Scotland as a whole, MUP has been effective in reducing alcohol consumption in the first three years of implementation.”
Source: BMJ, 22 November 2022
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People who vape may be more at risk of developing cavities in their teeth, study finds
The research team from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston in the US analysed the data from more than 13,000 patients over the age of 16 who were treated at Tufts dental clinics from 2019-2022.
The data revealed that 79 per cent of vaping patients had a high risk of suffering from cavities, while around only 60 per cent of the control group had a similar level of risk. The vaping patients were not asked whether they used devices that contained nicotine or THC, although nicotine is more common.
The researchers recommend that people who vape should be given much more rigorous care to prevent cavities.
Dr Karina Irusa, assistant professor of comprehensive care at Tufts and lead author of the study said: "The extent of the effects on dental health, specifically on dental decay, are still relatively unknown. At this point, I'm just trying to raise awareness." She added: "It's important to understand this is preliminary data.
"This is not 100 per cent conclusive, but people do need to be aware of what we're seeing."
Source: The Daily Mail, 24 November 2022
Editorial note: The study does not appear to check whether the participants who vape are also current/former smokers which means that it is unclear whether the higher risk of cavities is due to smoking or vaping. Smoking is incredibly harmful to oral health and is linked to tooth decay and oral cancer. Additionally, because the study is cross-sectional it cannot establish a causal link between vaping and poor oral health. The recent OHID review of vaping found evidence to suggest that vaping would be detrimental to oral or dental health among people who have never vaped or smoked but would likely be beneficial for smokers switching to vaping.
See also:
OHID-Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update
Vaping and oral health- Dr Richard Holliday and Professor Elaine McColl talk through the impact of vaping on the oral health of patients, concluding that smokers can expect to see substantial improvements in their oral health if they fully switch to an e-cigarette.
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House of Commons- written question
Asked by Rachael Maskell, Labour, York Central.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will use alcohol and tobacco duties to support programmes to reduce harm from those products.
Answered by James Cartlidge, Conservative, South Suffolk.
The Government keeps the duty rates under review during its yearly budget process and aims to balance the impact on businesses with its public health objectives.
Source: Hansard, 22 November 2022
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House of Lords – oral question on the Tobacco Control Plan
On 23 November, Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and health, asked an oral question in the House of Lords:
“To ask His Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish their Tobacco Control Plan; and whether it is still their intention that England shall be smoke-free by 2030.”
In his follow up question, Lord Faulkner asked if the Minister accepts that it is necessary to implement the recommendations in Javed Khan’s independent review, particularly those based on the “polluter pays” principle.
Lord Lansley asked whether the government would consider increasing the age at which one could buy tobacco.
Lord Rennard, Vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and health, asks whether the solution to funding tobacco control and smoking cessation services lies in a "polluter pays” levy on tobacco profits.
Baroness Merron asks what actions are being taken to prevent minors from being able to purchase vapes.
In response, Lord Markham, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of state for the Department of Health and Social Care:
• Reiterated that the Government is fully committed to it’s smoke-free England by 2030 goal and that it is reviewing the recommendations made in the Khan review. He stated that they will provide an update to their plans in due course.
• Said that increasing the age of sale would be a radical step but that this option would be reviewed.
• Said taxation provides one avenue of reducing smoking but other, non-financial means exist and have proved successful to date.
• Said that evidence shows vaping is an effective tool to quit smoking and is much better than smoking, but that he does not want it to become a gateway into tobacco smoking for minors
Source: Hansard, 23 November 2022
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