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Hospital admissions for vaping kids quadruple in a year, as calls grow for more regulation
Figures obtained by LBC from NHS Digital show 32 admissions of patients under the age of 18 were recorded as being linked to vaping in England last year, up from eight in 2021.
Overall admissions across all age groups almost doubled in 2022, with 344 recorded. Concerns have been growing around the increasing number of young people being attracted to e-cigarettes through “flashy marketing campaigns”, fruity flavours and colourful packaging.
Despite it being illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s, a survey by ASH suggests around 17% of 11-17 year-olds have tried vaping at least once, while 7% identified themselves as being a regular user. The charity said that tobacco cigarettes have contributed to a much higher rate of hospital admissions, but shared concerns at the figures.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, told LBC: "We certainly take concerns about health problems being linked to vaping seriously. However, although the number may have increased in the last couple of years it is still small by comparison with smoking which causes more than five hundred thousand hospital admissions every year. Smoking is proven to cause cancer, heart and respiratory disease in adults, and exposure to tobacco smoke causes cot death, respiratory disease and meningitis in children. Although we should take steps to limit e-cigarette marketing that appeals to children and to prevent illegal sales, by far the main impact of vaping on public health is to help smokers to quit and to reduce children's exposure to passive smoking."
Source: LBC, 3 February 2023
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NHS risks being overwhelmed by cancer as cases set to jump by a third, warns leading charity
New cancer cases are expected to jump by a third, a leading charity has warned. If current trends continue, cancer cases will rise from the 384,000 cases per year now to 506,000 in 2040, according to a new analysis by Cancer Research UK. Professor Charles Swanton, the charity’s chief clinician, said that the "NHS risks being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new cancer diagnoses" unless the Government takes action.
Most of the expected rise can be attributed to an ageing population, but obesity and smoking are also contributing to the increase, the charity said. Around four in 10 cancer cases are preventable, with overweight or obesity causing around 23,000 cases of cancer every year in the UK and smoking causing around 55,000 cases every year.
Funding cuts to stop smoking support programmes, as well as pandemic disruption, means the services are not available to everyone who wants to quit, the charity said. The proportion of people accessing stop smoking services has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, where it dropped by almost a fifth, it added.
By 2040 the charity predicts there will be 208,000 cancer deaths in the UK each year – an increase of almost a quarter from the 167,000 seen now. In total, there could be 8.4 million new cases of cancer and 3.5 million cancer deaths in the UK between 2023 and 2040. The majority of cases and deaths will be in people aged 70 and over.
It said the UK was not on track to meet its target of creating a Smokefree England by 2030, while junk food marketing restrictions have been "pushed back" even further by the Government.
The charity also said the Government’s recently announced Major Conditions Strategy does not go far enough to help the NHS face the challenges ahead. It is calling on the government to publish a 10-year fully funded cancer plan to transform cancer survival in the UK. In a series of recommendations, the charity is calling for more focus on prevention strategies to help alleviate pressures on the NHS, including implementing the recommendations of the Khan Review to make smoking “obsolete”.
Source: Telegraph, 3 February 2023
See also: Cancer Research UK report - Cancer in the UK Overview 2023
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Public health groups urge Rishi Sunak to widen free school meals programme
800,000 more children in England from deprived families should get free school meals to help tackle child food insecurity, public health leaders have urged. The widening of access to Free School Meals, the National School Breakfast Programme and the Healthy Start scheme should be funded by imposing new levies on producers of unhealthy foods and drinks, they say, based on the success of the 2018 sugar tax on fizzy drinks.
The letter states that 25.8% of households with children experienced food insecurity in September 2022, and the current cost-of-living crisis will have increased this number. It continues that child food insecurity contributes to increased anxiety, poor mental health, poor social and emotional development, and a reduced level of achievement in school.
The letter, organised by the Faculty of Public Health, the Association of Directors of Public Health, the Royal Society for Public Health and the School and Public Health Nurses Association, has support from a cross-party group of MPs and peers, children’s charities and food campaigners. Signatories include Tim Farron, the ex-leader of the Liberal Democrats, Lord Krebs, the inaugural chair of the Food Standards Agency; Lady Boycott, the former chair of the London Food Board; and Barnardo’s, Save the Children and Magic Breakfast charities.
Professor Kevin Fenton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: “As the cost-of-living crisis bites, many families across the UK are currently struggling with the reality of food poverty, unable to meet even their most basic needs.” He added that the three schemes together act as “a vital lifeline. [...] But with too many children and families unable to access these services, government is missing an opportunity to firmly address the reality and impacts of child food poverty, which impairs the lives and life chances of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.”
Targeted levies on unhealthy food and drink would not only provide revenue to support the long-term viability of expanded Free School Meal provision, the National School Breakfast Programme and the Healthy Start scheme, but also “bolster the health of families across the UK through reformulation leading to reduced sugar and salt intake, saving the NHS billions of pounds and supporting a healthy workforce,” the letter writes.
Source: Guardian, 2 February 2023
See also: Letter - UK Public Health leaders call on Government to take urgent action to tackle child food insecurity
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Most US adults support banning sales of all tobacco products, CDC survey says
More than half of US adults support ending the sale of all tobacco products, according to a new study led by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nearly two-thirds said they support banning menthol cigarette sales. The poll, published this week in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, included 6,455 US adults surveyed in 2021 – before the US Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars. The FDA is still considering its proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars.
In the study, researchers reported widespread support for a menthol ban across demographic groups and among current smokers. More than a third of current smokers supported banning menthol cigarette sales, and more than a quarter supported banning all tobacco sales.
The study authors say public support can continue to be an influential factor in the acceleration of policy adoption, commenting: “These findings can inform federal, state, and local efforts to prohibit all tobacco product sales, including menthol cigarettes, reduce tobacco use and tobacco-related disparities, and advance health equity.”
Source: CNN News, 2 February 2023
See also: CDC survey - Support for Policies to Prohibit the Sale of Menthol Cigarettes and All Tobacco Products Among Adults, 2021
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Lancet editorial: Overcoming the narrative of despondency in global cancer
Editors at the Lancet write that given the worldwide inequities in cancer prevention and care, it is easy to become despondent about global cancer. Childhood cancer survival rates, for example, are more than 80% in high-income countries versus 20% in low-income countries, arising out of exposure to risk factors, in availability of public health programmes, and in access to diagnostics and treatments. The editors list some key steps to be taken.
They write that initiatives on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been neglected by the global health community, favouring infectious diseases, despite being enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals. The editors urge cancer to be prioritised to reflect its impact as a growing cause of death.
The editors continue that 40% of cancers are preventable, and implementation of robust taxation and regulation to tackle the commercial determinants of health that drive cancer burden, primarily related to tobacco, alcohol, and junk food, is essential.
International efforts are important but effective and sustainable cancer programmes will only come through national action. While more than 150 countries have national plans for cancer control, an analysis from 2018 shows that quality varies wildly: 10% had no strategy for tobacco control, 40% had no strategy to curb alcohol consumption and 33% did not mention HPV vaccination for cancer prevention. Further, without details of implementation, governance, and accountability, the likelihood of countries achieving goals on cancer control is limited.
The editors conclude: “NCDs are becoming the increasingly dominant health challenge for many low-income and middle-income countries [...] what cannot be denied is the inevitability of the imperative. Political legacies and reputations will depend on how the question of cancer is answered.”
Source: Lancet, 3 February 2023
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New ASH budget submission & cost benefit analysis of achieving Smokefree 2030
ASH and SPECTRUM have published a budget representation and Cost Benefit and Public Finances analysis of the cost of smoking and benefits of investing £125 million a year to deliver the Government’s Smokefree 2030 ambition as recommended by the Independent Khan review.
Summary of key findings from the CBPF report
- The cost of smoking to public finances (£21 bn) is nearly double the revenue raised by tobacco taxes (£11 bn)
- Spending £125 million a year to deliver a smokefree 2030 could provide a net benefit to public finances of £5.3 billion by 2030
- A cost-benefit analysis of this investment found a net benefit to society over 50 years of £775.7 billion
ASH has tweeted key findings and recommendations and would be very grateful for any retweeting to help give them a bigger profile:
https://twitter.com/AshOrgUK/status/1620757794856255489
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Podcast: Let’s talk e-cigarettes: Episode 21
Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Jonathan, Penn State College of Medicine. Professor Foulds discusses his randomised controlled study of the effect of e-cigarettes on combustible cigarette abstinence in people who use combustible cigarettes with no plans to quit.
This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches.
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Recruiting: Programme Manager London Tobacco Alliance and Stop Smoking London
The London Tobacco Alliance, a partnership organisation formed to help make London Smoke Free by 2030, is seeking a programme manager to help deliver the Alliance’s aims. The individual must be able to work effectively at a regional level within London and across key partners including Directors of Public Health, NHS organisations, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the Greater London Authority, London Councils, trading standards and voluntary sector organisations.
This post is offered by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on behalf of the Association of Directors of Public Health, London. For further information please contact Tracy Parr, Programme Director, London Tobacco Alliance by emailing [email protected].
The application deadline is on Thursday 16th February with interviews to be held in person in London on Monday 27th February 2023.
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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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