Smoking statistics in the UK

Research a national health priority area that may be used to form a rationale directed toward a specific target group in a health promotion campaign. You need to persuade and justify why this has been classified as a health priority area and argue a case for being an area of focus for health promotion.

Smoking is defined by the healthcare professionals as psychological addiction with extreme adverse health consequences (Shiffman, et al.,2014). According to the UK, National Health Statistics (2016), there are nearly 474 reported cases of smoking related hospital admission. National Health Service also reported that in 2015, there are 79 thousand deaths in UK that is attributable to smoking. Thus prevalence of smoking is health priority and needs to curb at earliest. The following report aims to highlight the smoking statistics of UK, health complications associated with smoking and what the government of UK is doing to reduce the rate of smoking. At the end, the report sums up with an innovative recommendation that can be employed to reduce the rate of smoking.

Smoking prevention is on health priority because according to the Office of National Statistics, UK (2016) more than 7.6 million of the adult population residing in UK are active smokers and the estimated amount scores around 15.5% of the total population.  This increase in the smoking tendency has a serious health threat against the population. According to the Centre of Disease Control (CDC), cigarette smoking negatively impacts almost every organ of the body. The most common health threat of smoking is lung cancer. According to the UK’s National Health Statistics, in UK, 80% of the reported lung cancer cases in UK results out of cigarette smoking. Apart from lung cancer, smoking also increases the tendency of developing blood cancer, cancer of oesophagus, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas and oral carcinoma(Cooper & Marshall 2013). Smoking also has negative health impact among the passive smokers. According to Dinas, Koutedakis & Flouris, (2013) smoking is suspected to cause 8 million of death worldwide by the end of 2030.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among the smokers (Sundar, Yao & Rahman, 2013). Regular smoking habits of adults are associated with the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (Chang, 2012).  Tobacco smoking induce platelet aggression and this the lead cause behind the high rate of occurrence of cardiac complications among the regular smokers (Barua & Ambrose 2013). Moreover, increase in the tendency of smoking among the female is also associated with the development of breast cancer (Dossus et al., 2014). Based on the recent evidences, smoking related deaths is going to increase exponentially if the tendency of smoking is not restricted among the population (Carter et al., 2015). Passive smoking or second hand smoke also cast serious health problems. The intake of the passive smoke increases threat of cardiovascular complication (Mozaffarian at al., 2016). Other common complications include breathing problem like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and formation of extra phlegm (Hudson, 2012). Second hand smoking is also a leading cause of asthmatic attacks both among the active and passive smokers (Burke et al., 2012). The pregnant mother who are expose to second hand smoke endanger the health status of their foetus(Marinho Custovic, Marsden, Smith & Simpson,2012). Children who are exposed to second hand smoke develop mental health complications and experience developmental difficulties(Stein et al., 2014). According to the WHO, there is no safe lower limit of smoking among the pregnant women. However, at least 20% of pregnant women in European countries continue with their smoking habits even after they conceive (Lanting, van Wouwe, van den Burg, Segaar & van der Pal-de Bruin,2012). Smoking during any trimester of pregnancy may lead to abrupt abortion and preterm delivery. It also results in low birth weight (Varner et al., 2014; Ko et al.. 2014).

Health complications associated with smoking

12-18 years

According to the Cancer Research UK, 3% of the children aged between 11 to 15 years in UK smoke one cigarette per week. Almost one fifth of the total population of children in England have tried smoking at least once and girls are twice as like in comparison to boys to smoke regularly (Cancer Research UK, 2017).The tendency of childhood smoking is mostly prevalent among the households with chain smoker parents (Action on Smoking and Health UK, 2017).Childhood smoking has extreme health consequences both the current time and in later stages of life. People who initiate smoking early face additional risk of developing lung cancer, cervical pre-cancerous lesions and bowel cancer (Cancer Research UK, 2017).

18-30 years

According to the UK National Statistic (2017), adults in England are more likely to smoke in comparison to that of population who are aged above 65 years. However, the prevalence of smoking has drooped among the young adults since 2010. But in comparison to the children, male young adults are more likely to smoke in comparison to that of female. The main reason cited for this is increase in the level of stress among the young adult population. This claim is also reflected in the statistics. For example, married adults are more likely to smoke (10%) in comparison to no married individualNational Health Service UK 2016. High rate of smoking is also reflected among the routine or manual workers and the group of population who are devoid of higher level of education (National Health Service UK 2016. Thus lack of proper employment, financial complexicity is generating stress and this leading to increase in smoking rate.

60+ years

The older smokers in UK are less likely to quit smoking in comparison to younger adults. However, they are most likely to attain success if taken an attempt to quit smoking. Among the younger adults, cardiovascular disease is the leading thread behind the arising complications however, in case of older adults one of the major health treat of smoking is development of lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease(Burns, 2000).

The only way towards the promotion of health and well-being is prevention is smoking and fight against the nicotine withdrawal symptom. UK Department of Health has undertaken 5-year Tobacco Control Plan in order to reduce the rate of smoking among the UK population. The main motion of this plan is, UK government will support all the actions undertaken for comprehensive tobacco control in UK. This support is based on six different strands which are stringently characterised by the World Bank (UK NationalHealth Service, 2017). The six strands of the UK smoking prevention plan are

1. Complete imposition of ban over the advertisements that promote the consumption of the use of tobacco.
2. Increasing the cost price of cigarettes or other tobacco products or making to less affordable to the mass especially to the students or young adults. According to the report, Statistics on Smoking England, 2017 published by the National Health Service UK, the price of tobacco has increased by 90 over 10 years (2006-2016) as a result, tobacco has become 27% less affordable since 2006
3. Strict regulatory control over the demand and supply of the tobacco products in UK
4. Providing proper assistance to the chain smokers and other consumers of tobacco to quit smoking
5. An initiative to reduce the harmful effect of passive smoking via banning the provision of smoking in public or especially in front of the pregnant women
6. Promotion of effective communication towards the controlling the use of tobacco or cigarette smoking

Prevalence of childhood smoking in the UK

(UK National Health Service, 2017)

Apart from the government rules, individual attempts are also been undertaken to order to quit smoking or to combat the nicotine withdrawal symptom. One of the most popular attempts is use of E-cigarettes. E-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes are battery powered devices which are designed with an aim to mimic the action of the standard cigarette while minimising the toxic effect of nicotine (Etter, Bullen, Flouris, Laugesen & Eissenberg,2011). According the UK Office of National Statistics (2017), 2.3 million people in UK currently use E-cigarettes in order to quit smoking. However, E-cigarettes have sudden side-effects and are unaffordable by the person who falls under the low financial bracket. The nicotine present in E-cigarette causes stiffening of the arteries along with increase in blood pressure. Moreover, propylene glycol present in E-cigarette may lead to persistent throat pain (Hureaux, Drouet & Urban, 2014).

In order to cope up with the loopholes of government framed policies against smoking prevention and it side-pass the harmful effect of E-cigarette other useful strategies must be employed. One of these strategies includes circulating smoking prevention adds along with information of the harmful effects of cigarette in digital media (Lee et al., 2014). Such digital media campaigns will increase the quit line call volume with direct promotion among the smokers along with indirect promotion among the smoker proxies. Such digital campaigns will help in the increase of the knowledge based in smoking and its harmful effects along with the promotion of best set of practise (Lee et al., 2014). This health promotion strategy goes with the concept proposed by Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Digital media campaign will generate advocacy for health, while enabling people achieving equity in health. Such adds will be designed in co-ordinated actions of different sectors of the society like government, local and voluntary organisation. Digital ads published in social media will generate supportive environment while strengthening community actions and thereby helping to reduce smoking health threats (World Health Organisation, 2017).

Conclusion

Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that smoking is the leading cause of cancer and cardiovascular disease among the UK population. Government initiatives and the use of E-cigarettes have helped to reduce the rate smoking in UK however further initiative are required to be undertaken. Use of digital quit-smoking campaign is assumed to get positive results as majority of UK population use internet and search smoking related information online.

Factors affecting smoking tendencies in the UK

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