Plymouth ranks 2nd highest smoking rate in South West region
The area in the South West with the lowest prevalence of smoking in adults (18+) is South Gloucestershire at 10.6%, which comes in 3.8% under the England average. Next lowest is Bath and North East Somerset (11.7%) and third lowest is North Somerset (12%).
The data, sourced from Public Health England from NHS ‘quit smoking’ services and collated by Vape Club, reveals a detailed look at where smoking remains an issue and how successful NHS services have been able to encourage smoking cessation - the ‘quit rate’.
At the other end of the spectrum, with a smoking prevalence of 17.7%, Swindon has the highest smoking rate in the South West. The second highest ranking area in the South West is Plymouth (17%), followed by Bristol (16.3%).
Looking at how this affects emergency services and hospitals in the region, statistics for smoking related hospital admission have been analysed. Bournemouth has the highest rate of smoking attributable hospital admissions in the region, with 2,037 (2%) out of every 100,000 related to smoking.
Bournemouth is followed by Bristol which every 1,970 out of 100,000 (2%) related to smoking, with next highest being Swindon with 1,752 out of 100,000 (1.8%). With the England average of 1.5% for smoking related hospital admissions, there are six counties in the South West that sit above the England average.
How does the South West compare to the rest of the UK?
When looking nationwide at the number of smoking attributable hospital admissions, the England average is 1.5% which 6 our of 15 of the South West regions are above.
In fact, while smoking rates in the UK are declining, hospital admissions related to smoking are rising, and there is a concerning trend of cuts to smoking cessation services.
The British Lung Foundation found in July that the number of GP prescriptions for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in England has fallen the past decade by 75%.
They recommend:
- The UK government reverses the cuts to public health funding so that specialist stop smoking services can stay open
- CCGs repeal all guidance to GPs which revokes their right to prescribe stop smoking medication
- Commissioners of stop smoking services remove any unfair restrictions on which, and how many, approved stop smoking products can be prescribed
E-cigarettes are currently the most popular stop smoking aid in England, with an estimated 2.5 million users. Over half (51%) have stopped smoking completely and of the 45% who still smoke, half say that they are vaping in order to stop smoking.
Dan Marchant at Vape Club notes:
‘Vaping gives a real alternative to traditional smoking cessation products, and as the study shows they are actually twice as effective. It is fantastic to see organisations such as Public Health England and the NHS embrace the public health breakthrough that is vaping, but we still have a long way to go to get this message out to the remaining 7.4million smokers in the UK.’
To find out more, please visit here: https://www.vapeclub.co.uk/how-to-vape-guide/how-more-smokers-plague-the...
