South Tyneside Tobacco Control Alliance
Summary Report of Local Alliance Work 05/06
Smoke Free South Tyneside
Steven Lovell
Public Health Practitioner – Tobacco Control
South Tyneside PCT
Clarendon
Windmill Way
Hebburn
Tyne & Wear
NE31 1AT
Tel: 0191 3831170
Fax: 0191 2831001
steven.lovell@stpct.nhs.uk
The Health Impact of Smoking
Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable ill health and premature death in the UK. It is a major contributor of health inequalities with prevalence highest in disadvantaged communities and populations. Subsequently, it is predicted that, in England, smoking is responsible annually for 120,000 deaths – equating to 2308 deaths per week or 328 deaths per day (Twigg et al., 2004).
Smoking Kills (1998), the NHS Plan (2000), the Cancer Plan (2000), the Planning and Priorities Framework 2003-06 (2002),the Treasury’s Spending Review; Public Service Agreements (2004) and more recently Choosing Health, the White Paper on Public Health (2004) all set national targets and actions for tackling the epidemic of tobacco. Overall the intention is to establish a downward trend in smoking rates in all populations and social classes. Specifically the targets aim;
• To reduce adult smoking rates to 21% or less by 2010 from a national baseline of 26% in 2002 (PSA, 2004). (South Tyneside baseline estimated at 27%, however may be as high as 32% in some wards)
• To reduce smoking rates among manual groups to 26% or less by 2010 from a 1998 baseline of 32% (Cancer Plan, 2000).
• To reduce smoking rates in pregnancy to 15% by 2010, from a baseline of 23% in 1996, with a reduction to 18% by 2005 (DOH, 1998).
• To reduce smoking rates amongst 11-15 year olds to 9% by 2010, from a
baseline of 13% in 1996 (11% by 2005) (DOH, 1998).
Tobacco smoke is an issue that affects everybody – not just smokers. It affects the millions of others whose health is put at risk due to exposure to second hand smoke (SHS). For example; The British Medical Association’s Board of Science and Education (2002) estimated that at least 1,000 people die each year in the UK as a result of exposure to SHS. Whilst many workplaces have adopted smoke free policies 3 million people each day are exposed to SHS at work, with those in manual and non-manual posts most likely to be exposed. Exposure to SHS in the workplace causes 3 times more premature deaths each year than all industrial accidents, with those working in the hospitality industry most at risk (Jamrozik, 2003). Non smokers in the North East are much more likely to be exposed to SHS than elsewhere in Britain due to the higher prevalence rates. In the North East 200 people under the age of 65 will die due to exposure to SHS each year (Jamrozik, 2003).
Why Action is Needed in South Tyneside
The Government has not as yet introduced legislation to control smoking, therefore it falls on local partnerships to do as much as possible within their existing powers. Local opinion on the issue of second hand smoke is changing. In the UK over 80% of the population already believe that there should be restrictions on smoking at work, in restaurants and other public places. Local surveys carried out in the North East as part of the introduction of smoke free status in the Metro Centre, Washington Galleries and Bridges shopping malls have shown similar levels of support.
Exposure to other people’s cigarette smoke increases the risk of contracting smoking related diseases (such as cancer & heart disease), can trigger asthma attacks and increase the chances of sudden infant death syndrome.
Children and babies are at greater risk through exposure because children’s lungs are smaller and their immune system less developed, children are smaller and breathe faster meaning that they take in more harmful chemicals per kilogram weight and children have less choice to leave smoke filled rooms than adults.
In England 27% of adults smoke, however this figure also hides major societal differences, where 32% of manual workers smoke compared to 21% of non-manual occupations. The South Tyneside Health and Lifestyle survey indicated that those on low income are three times more likely to be smokers. In addition it identifies that those who were exposed to smoking as children were more likely to be smokers as adults. South Tyneside has also been identified as having the highest lung cancer rate in Tyne & Wear. As a consequence South Tyneside’s life expectancy rates are poorer than the national average in particular for males, who live two years less than the national average.
The national evidence about the effects of second hand smoke led to the Chief Medical Officer to call for a ban on smoking in public places in July 2003. The Wanless Report identifies smoking and obesity as the “most important lifestyle determinants of future health” and goes on to say that “the benefits … (from a workplace/public place ban) … would be expensive to achieve by more conventional techniques of education and advice”. If South Tyneside is to make significant improvement in the health of local people then comprehensive smoking controls need to be introduced.
The Smoke Free South Tyneside Alliance
The Smoke Free South Tyneside Alliance is a group of people who live or work in the borough of South Tyneside and represent the voluntary, public and statutory sector organisations. The group is co-ordinated by South Tyneside Primary Care Trust and South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council. The alliance covers the area of South Tyneside as defined by the boundaries of South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council. South Tyneside has a population of 152,000 and contains 20 wards, 17 of which are in the top 30% most deprived wards in the country.
The Smoke Free South Tyneside Alliance steering group was formed in December 2005 with the purpose of developing a Smoke Free action plan for South Tyneside. The alliance has since formulated and agreed the actions with the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and the alliance has committed the support of their organisations by providing resources and staff input. An operational group was later formed (23/2/06), with nominated representatives from the organisations involved in the steering group, to take forward the actions at an operational level.
Members of the Alliance Steering Group:
Councillor Tracey Dixon (Chair)
Steven Lovell (Secretary), - South Tyneside PCT
Dr Stephen Cronin – South Tyneside Foundation Trust
Carol Robertson - STRIDE
Sylvia Brown – South Tyneside Council
Ian Frame – South Tyneside Foundation Trust
Alan Smith – Local Education Authority
Jackie Watson – In2Focus
Andy Graham – Smoke Free North East Office
Maria Williams - South Tyneside PCT
Katy Fortune – STMBC, Environmental Health
Michelle Cutler – STMBC, Trading Standards
Ian Cuskin – Fire and Rescue Service
Geoff Ford – Ford Components
The Role of the Alliance
The Smoke Free South Tyneside Alliance has one clear challenge “to reduce tobacco use in South Tyneside.”
It will do this by:
* Educating and informing local people about the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke.
* Protecting non-smokers from the damaging effects of second-hand smoke.
* Enforcing the law on advertising and sale of tobacco products to minors.
* Encouraging and supporting smokers who want to give up and promoting South Tyneside’s smoking cessation service.
This will include the following actions:
* Providing protection to South Tyneside’s workforce from the dangers of second-hand smoke in buildings and services directly owned and run by LSP partners. This will include those organisations where there is direct influence through funding and participation in their management. No partner workplace should permit smoking on the premises.
* Ensuring all workplaces or enclosed public spaces in receipt of funding should be smoke free.
* Ensuring that all partner organisation employees have access to professional advice and support services for smokers who wish to quit.
* Encouraging other employers in our area to ensure that their workplaces are smoke free.
* Ensuring that action on smoking is a recognised part of the work of key Council staff such as officers from trading standards, licensing, environmental health planning, officers responsible for building stronger communities and other relevant staff.
* Supporting Trading Standards, Police and Customs and Excise in their work to tackle counterfeiting and smuggling.
The Future
The development and implementation of a Smoke Free South Tyneside initiative is a vital aspect of improving the health of the people in the area. Action needs to be undertaken on a range of fronts, not only by larger organisations, but by smaller agencies, communities and individuals working in partnership to deliver concerted and co-ordinated actions on tobacco.
Tobacco Control has been identified as a cross cutting priority for action by all partners with one clear challenge “to reduce tobacco use in South Tyneside.” If significant improvements are to be made in the health of the residents of South Tyneside an important step is to protect people from tobacco smoke as inhaling second hand tobacco smoke is both unpleasant and a direct hazard to health.
Although the Members of the LSP have signed up to achieving smoke free status by 2010 the Smoke Free South Tyneside Alliance can not deliver 100% smoke free status in South Tyneside immediately. It is not possible to ban smoking in all public places within South Tyneside currently. Partners are however, in a position to influence and encourage the attainment of smoke free status. The most effective commitment that partners can make is to engage in a series of steps that will take South Tyneside from where it is now, to as close to Smoke Free over a five year period.
Useful Links:
http://www.stpct.nhs.uk/services/stphdt/tobacco_control.htm
http://www.stpct.nhs.uk/services/stphdt/smoking_cessation.htm
http://www.givingupsmoking.co.uk/
http://www.cleanairaward.org.uk/index.htm
