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Updated: July 20, 2011
United Kingdom
Overview
Prevalence of Tobacco Use
Cost of Tobacco Use
Tobacco-Related Health Information
Tobacco Use in the Workplace
Tobacco Cessation Treatment Options
Resources
Citations
Overview
Tobacco use is the largest cause of preventable illness and death in the United Kingdom (UK).1 Hence, tobacco cessation is a national priority. The National Health Service (NHS), the government-run healthcare system, offers a tobacco cessation program.2 In addition, tobacco use is costly for the NHS and for employers. Smoking costs UK employers about $10 billion (U.S. dollars) a year in lost productivity, absenteeism, and fire damage.3
Prevalence of Tobacco Use
In 2011, an estimated 10 million Britons smoked. 4 Smoking rates among men and women are similar (22% of males and 21% of females). Fortunately, rates are decreasing. Between 2005 and 2011, rates dropped by 1.3%.4,5
Cost of Tobacco Use
In 2010, smoking cost the National Health Service (NHS) £2.7 billion (U.S.$4.4 billion).6Additionally, the practice was associated with 34 million days of lost productivity nationally due to absenteeism and smoking breaks.6 In 2007, smoking cost employers about U.S.$10 billion in lost productivity, absenteeism and fire damage.3
| Employers can use the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) cost calculator to determine the potential costs and savings of encouraging and supporting employee cessation.3 |
Tobacco-Related Health Information
Tobacco use is the largest cause of preventable illness and death in the U.K.1 Over 100,000 individuals die annually from tobacco-related illnesses.1 Individuals who smoke lose an average of 20 years of life.5 In addition, secondhand smoke kills more than 12,000 individuals annually in the U.K.5
For every smoking-related death in the U.K., approximately 20 others suffer from a smoking-related disease.7 Approximately 364,000 patients each year are admitted to hospitals as a result of a smoking-related illness, the equivalent of 7,000 admissions each week or 1,000 each day.7
Smoking is connected to at least 80% of all deaths from lung cancer in the U.K., 80% of which are from bronchitis and emphysema and 17% from heart disease.1 All told, 30% of all cancer deaths and about 90% of cases of peripheral vascular disease can be attributed to smoking.1
The U.K.’s rates of women who smoke while pregnant are high. About 17% of women report smoking throughout their pregnancy.5 There are many consequences of doing so: preterm delivery/prematurity, low-birth weight, fetal deaths, stillbirths and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).8 Smoking while pregnant doubles the risk that children will become smokers.9 Quitting smoking is essential for pregnant women because smoking during pregnancy is the most preventable cause of illness and death among mothers and infants.10
Tobacco Use in the Workplace
The U.K. bans smoking in all enclosed public places, including workplaces.11 In England and Wales, there are approximately 34 million days of absence attributed annually to smoking-related illness.4
In the U.K., smoking is more prevalent among persons in manual labor occupations (i.e., blue collar) than professional or managerial ones (i.e., white collar). In 2005, 29% of blue collar workers smoked; 19% of white collar workers smoked.5 Men and women in manual labor occupations also begin smoking at younger ages. About 48% of men and 40% of women in manual labor occupations smoked regularly by age 16, compared to 33% of men and 28% of women in professional or managerial occupations.5
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) outlines the following recommendations for employers regarding work site tobacco cessation:
- Develop policies with employees about corporate cessation support that will be provided and how that support will work in practice.3
- Provide employees with information about local government-run tobacco cessation services.3
- Allow employees to use tobacco cessation resources during work hours without loss of pay.3
Smoking cessation is on the United Kingdom's political agenda. Government actions include making warning label adjustments, instituting advertising bans, and providing tobacco cessation services.5 In 2007, the United Kingdom enacted smoke-free legislation banning smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces, including pubs, clubs, membership clubs, cafes and restaurants.6 In March 2011, the government announced a new tobacco control plan further restricting tobacco marketing to reduce smoking prevalence.12
- Health warning labels must now cover 30% of the front and 40% of the back of tobacco packaging.5
- Terms such as "low-tar” and "light" are prohibited from tobacco products.5
- Maximum yields for tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarettes have been set.5
Tobacco Cessation Treatment Options
Almost three-fourths (72%) of current British smokers want to quit.5 The National Health Service (NHS) offers a tobacco cessation program called Stop Smoking Services. 2 Offered treatment options include counseling and pharmacological treatment (i.e., buproprion, varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy [NRT]).2,13 Trained nurses and pharmacists oversee counseling and support services. Group or one-on-one sessions may be available. Pharmacological treatment options (i.e., buproprion and varenicline) are available by prescription. In 2004, about 2 million NRT prescriptions were dispensed.2
Between 2009 and 2010, the U.K. government spent ?83.9 million (U.S.$136 million) on tobacco cessation services, and ?61.8 million (U.S.$100 million) on medications to help smokers quit.6 About 15% of people abstain from tobacco for one year after attempting to quit.2 Smokers who use NHS’s services and pharmacological treatment when quitting are four times more likely to succeed than those who use willpower alone.2
Resources
Citations
1 Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; Action on Smoking and Health. Achieving smoke freedom tool kit: a guide for local decision makers. Accessed May 19, 2011.
2 Department of Health. NHS stop smoking services and nicotine replacement therapy. Modified October 29, 2008. Accessed May 19, 2011.
3 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Workplace interventions to promote smoking cessation. Modified April 2007. Accessed May 19, 2011.
4 Action on Smoking and Health. Smoking statistics. Facts at a Glance. Modified January 2011. Accessed May 19, 2011.
5 Cancer Research UK. Lung cancer and smoking statistics. Accessed May 19, 2011.
6 Action on Smoking and Health. Tobacco economics. Facts at a Glance. Modified January 2011. Accessed May 19, 2011.
7 Action on Smoking and Health. Smoking statistics: illness and death. Fact Sheet. Modified May 2008. Accessed May 19, 2011.
8 March of Dimes. Smoking during pregnancy. Modified April 2010. Accessed May 19, 2011.
9 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco use and pregnancy: home. Modified January 27, 2011. Accessed May 19, 2011.
10 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke before, during, and after pregnancy. Accessed May 19, 2011.
11 World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2008: the MPOWER package. Accessed May 19, 2011.
12 HM Government. Healthy lives, healthy people: a tobacco control plan for England. Accessed May 19, 2011.
13 Patches, gum, and other stop smoking services. National Health Services. Accessed May 20, 2011.
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