Closing the SMOKING GAP
Smokers are being urged to quit due to increased risk from coronavirus
Fewer people are smoking but some areas are still seeing stubbornly high rates, with charities urging people to #QuitforCovid. Figures from Public Health England and the Welsh Government have revealed that 17% of people were smokers in 2018/19.
The proportion is down from 19% in 2013/14 in England, and 19% in 2016/17 in Wales (which is as far back as comparable figures on a local level go for each country).
However, in some areas the smoking rate remains stubbornly high.
Blackpool has the highest rate of smoking out of anywhere in England and Wales, with 25% of people aged 15 and over currently a smoker.
That's more than twice as high as some other parts of the country.
Prevalence in the city compares to 12% of people in places like Richmond upon Thames, Rutland and Wokingham.
It means the gap between the areas with the highest and lowest prevalence of smoking has barely shrunk at all over the last few years.
In 2013/14, 28% of people in Blackpool smoked, compared to 13% in Harrow and Wokingham.
Other areas in England that continue to have a high rate of smokers are Hull (24%), Peterborough (24%) and North East Lincolnshire (22%).
In Wales, the figure ranges from 14% of people aged 16 and over in places like Denbighshire and Gwynedd, to 22% in Conwy, Neath Port Talbot and Merthyr Tydfil.
Experts say that the geographical divide is linked with deprivation.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said, “The more vulnerable and disadvantaged you are the more likely you are to smoke, and smoke heavily.
“That means that communities with high levels of deprivation also have high rates of smoking. That's why smoking rates in Blackpool are more than double those in the most prosperous parts of the country
“It's not that vulnerable and disadvantaged smokers don't want to quit, they do, but because they are more heavily addicted they need more help to succeed.
“We know what works, smokers using medication or e-cigarettes and behavioural support are three times as likely to succeed as those trying to quit cold turkey.
“Such help used to be universally available but cuts to public health budgets means all too often sadly that's no longer the case. That's why we've launched our #QuitforCovid campaign.”
The charity stresses that there's no time like the present to quit smoking, with growing concerns around coronavirus and the increased risk smokers face.
They say at least 300,000 people across the UK have already quit smoking successfully during lockdown.
A further 550,000 have tried to quit and 2.4 million have cut down on the amount of cigarettes they smoke.
These estimates are based on findings from the UK arm of YouGov's international COVID-19 Tracker.
They come as evidence is showing that smokers in hospital who have coronavirus are at a higher risk than non-smokers of severe illness .
The QuitforCOVID campaign is encouraging smokers to seek help with their quit attempts by visiting www.todayistheday.co.uk and asking questions of leading experts by tweeting @QuitforCOVID.
Dr Nick Hopkinson, respiratory specialist at Imperial College London and chair of ASH said: “Smoking harms the immune system and our ability to fight off infections.
“Evidence is growing that smoking is associated with worse outcomes in those admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
“Quitting smoking also rapidly reduces people's risk of other health problems such as heart attacks and strokes – those are bad whenever they happen, so preventing them is an end in itself, but it's especially important at a time like now when everyone is keen to stay out of hospital."