Acting now to stub out smoking will save lives in the future

Published on Thursday 10 April 2008 10:19

Rich and poor can benefit from better support, says Sheila Duffy.

WHEN it comes to smoking, the health inequalities gap in Scotland remains wide. Smoking rates in affluent areas are often under 20 per cent with rates in deprived areas around 40 per cent – but those are average figures. As the Evening News reported earlier this week, if you look deeper, the actual divide between communities is alarmingly high.

The estimated figures of those smoking within the Edinburgh North Community Health Partnership (CHP) area include a high of 44.5 per cent in Muirhouse and a low of 9.5 per cent in Murrayfield and Ravelston. The figures are similar for Edinburgh South CHP at 44 per cent in Greendykes and Niddrie Mains and ten per cent in Fairmilehead. The picture is similar outside Edinburgh. In Midlothian CHP, Mayfield has a rate of 38 per cent and Eskbank a low of 16 per cent And in East Lothian CHP Prestonpans is at 36 per cent and North Berwick west at 15 per cent.

So throughout the Lothians, if you travel just a couple of miles, smoking rates can increase four fold. And the higher the smoking rate, the higher the ill health and early deaths caused by smoking. 25 per cent of all deaths in Lothian are due to smoking but early deaths and smoking related disabilities will be concentrated in disadvantaged communities.

Death rates are now two to three times higher in disadvantaged social groups, and poorer people can also expect to experience more illness and disability problems. So what can be done? The answer is two-fold. Prevention and cessation.

Preventing future generations from smoking is the key to reducing ill health in the future. We must do all we can to prevent children from taking up this highly addictive habit. This includes licensing tobacco sales to stop rogue retailers selling to children. Removing cigarettes from their current prominent promotional displays will also help prevent tobacco companies advertising this lethal product to children. And helping smokers to stop through cessation support and advice will reduce the ill-effects of smoking on public health.

ASH Scotland wants to see cessation services more available and accessible throughout Scotland, with targeted, purpose-designed programmes for those low income communities where smoking rates are highest. Services should also be placed at the heart of communities as well as in traditional health settings. This requires increased training and resourcing of a wider variety of people such as youth and community workers.

To ensure the long-term health of Scotland's people, it is vital we provide all possible support to smokers trying to give up, and take steps to prevent our young people from becoming addicted to tobacco. By investing in prevention and cessation now, we can save lives in the future.

&#149 Sheila Duffy is chief executive of ASH Scotland