MORE THAN A MILLION FEWER SMOKERS SINCE 1998
16 Dec 2004 12:15 PM
Statistics out today show that there are around 1.2 million fewer
smokers in England since the Smoking Kills White Paper in 1998. The
new figures in the General Household Survey show that there has been
a reduction of 400,000 smokers within the last year. This steady
decline means that the proportion of the population who smoke has
declined from a 28% in 1998 to 25% in 2003. These are the lowest
smoking rates in England on record and indicate that the Government
is on track to meet the target of 21% smoking prevalence in 2010.
Welcoming the new figures, Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson
said:
"I am delighted to see that the action that we first recommended in
the Smoking Kills White Paper is having a real impact in reducing the
numbers of people who smoke. The figures out today are the first to
encompass the new cigarette pack warnings, the advertising ban and
the hard hitting media campaign on smoking around children and
babies. Although these are measures which will have a long term
effect on people's behaviour, it is encouraging that within the
period of a year there are around 400,000 fewer smokers in the
country.
"We are by no means complacent. The recent Public Health White Paper
sets out more action on smoking in public places and the plans to
extend and improve the NHS Stop Smoking Services. Seven out of ten
smokers want to give up and we are committed to providing the right
environment and support for them to take this decision and stick to
it."
On the same day as these statistics were published, the UK ratified
the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control. This is the first international treaty on public health and
has the potential to make a real difference in tobacco control at a
global level by committing all parties to the following measures:
- Comprehensive bans on the advertising and promotion of tobacco
products.
- Labelling of tobacco products to warn about the dangers of smoking.
- Education about the health effects of tobacco.
- Greater controls on the smuggling of tobacco.
- Protection of the public from the effects of secondhand smoke
- Measures to reduce the availability and promotion of tobacco to
young people.
Note to Editors
1. The General Household Survey results are produced by the Office of
National Statistics and are available on their website:
www.statistics.gov.uk
2. Smoking prevalence in England recorded as percentages of the
population are:
1998 28%
2000 27%
2001 27%
2002 26%
2003 25%
3. The Public Health White Paper can be found on the Department of
Health website: www.dh.gov.uk
4. The White Paper Smoking Kills (December 1998) announced an
initiative to set up smoking cessation services in the NHS. This
contained three key targets to tackle smoking prevalence among young
people; adults; and pregnant women.
5. The establishment of Stop Smoking Services in the NHS is an
important element of the Government's strategy for tackling smoking
in recognition that many smokers want to stop, but find it hard to do
so. The services are just one part of a comprehensive tobacco control
strategy which includes a ban on tobacco advertising, a wide-ranging
media campaign, larger and starker health warnings on cigarette
packets and action to tackle secondhand smoke.
6. The NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 169 0 169) gives help and advice to
smokers to quit, and can offer information on where to access their
local NHS stop smoking service.
7. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will come in to
force at the end of March 2005. The first was Conference of the
Parties must be held within a year from that date and may well be
during the UK presidency of the EU. Only those countries that have
ratified the treaty can take part in this vital first formal meeting.