Smoking deaths across England, 1600 per week

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 13 Nov 2004 - 10:00 PDT

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Health Development Agency publishes first local figures revealing unacceptable differences across the country

New figures published today by the Health Development Agency reveal the extent of the smoking epidemic blighting the nation. In England, over 1,600 people are estimated to die from smoking each week. This amounts to over 230 deaths every day and nearly 10 deaths every hour. Approximately 62% of these deaths are men and 38% are women.

In particular, the report highlights worrying differences in smoking prevalence, with higher levels of smoking found in disadvantaged areas. This difference is a root cause of health inequalities - numbers of deaths caused by smoking are higher in disadvantaged areas than in more affluent areas.

The Health Development Agency report "The Smoking Epidemic in England" - produced with researchers at the University of Portsmouth - includes estimates of smoking prevalence for strategic health authorities (SHAs) and, for the first time, estimates are available for each primary care trust (PCT). The report also gives estimates of the number of people dying prematurely in the UK every year because of smoking.

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, welcomed the report saying:

"We are in the grip of a smoking epidemic: an estimated 106,000 people in the UK are dying needlessly each year because of smoking. I welcome the publication of the HDA's report "The Smoking Epidemic in England" which starkly sets out the scale of the problem we face. Smoking isn't just a national problem; these figures show clearly how our local communities are affected. I believe this will be a useful document for everyone working to tackle the prevalence of smoking in this country."

Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of the Health Development Agency, said:

"Smoking is an important cause of health inequalities - the poorer you are, the more likely you are to smoke, you're less likely to quit and you're more likely to die from smoking related causes. The report highlights that the percentage of smoking-attributable deaths differs by up to 20% across PCTs - these high levels of variation in smoking rates across the country are unacceptable.

"For England as a whole, it is estimated that 86,500 deaths were caused by smoking on average each year over the period 1998-2002. Over 70% of smokers say they want to give up and evidence shows that smoke-free workplaces can encourage this, and can reduce the absolute prevalence of smoking by about 4%. As the largest employer in the country, we urge the NHS to lead by example on this."

The report paints a useful picture of how patterns of smoking impact on the nation's health. The numbers of deaths are the legacy of past smoking behaviour, whereas the estimates of recent smoking behaviour (prevalence) tell us about smoking-attributed deaths in the future.

The findings of the report show:

-- Across the 303 PCTs in England, the estimated current smoking prevalence is highest around the areas of inner London, parts of the North east, the North West, West Midlands and East Midlands and lowest in some of the more rural areas such as: Devon, Cornwall, East Anglia, the southern Midlands, North Yorkshire, North Lancashire and southern Home Counties.

-- In terms of SHAs, the lowest rates (around 25%) are estimated for Surrey, Sussex, Dorset, Somerset, Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Thames Valley.

-- The highest prevalence of smoking by SHA is found in parts of London, the North East, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire where prevalence rates are estimated to be above 30%.

The report shows that 85% of lung cancer deaths are estimated to be smoking attributable, and finds a particularly high death toll for chronic obstructive lung disease, with an estimated 17,400 deaths each year caused by smoking. In addition, 11,500 deaths from ischaemic heart disease among those over 65 in England were estimated to be due to smoking. It is hoped that this report will be a valuable tool to help PCTs make the case for smoking cessation resources in their area and for more investment at local level.

The report "The Smoking Epidemic in England" is available at the Health Development Agency website: http://www.hda.nhs.uk

. ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The full report is available at http://www.hda.nhs.uk/documents/smoking_epidemic.pdf (pdf, 946k) and the summary report is at http://www.hda.nhs.uk/documents/smoking_epidemic-summary.pdf (pdf, 144k)

2. The Health Development Agency www.hda.nhs.uk is the national authority on what works to improve people's health and to reduce health inequalities. We work in partnership across sectors to support informed decision making at all levels and the development of effective practice.

3. Recent statistics on smoking cessation services in England, April 2003 to March 2004 show that at the 4 week follow-up, around 204,900 (57%) of those smokers setting a quit date had successfully quit (based on self-report). Further details are available at http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0418.pdf

For further information, contact Dr Tonya Gillis or James Thomson, HDA press office on 020 7061 3117 / 3108.

Dr Tonya Gillis
Acting Head of Communications - Media
Health Development Agency
Tel: 020 7061 3117
http://www.hda.nhs.uk