Barnet (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Recent data shows adult smoking rates in Barnet remain lower than the UK average, highlighting ongoing local health improvements in recent years.
It comes as Parliament is presently reviewing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would change the force of cigarettes and vapes, including making it illegal to sell tobacco to anybody born on or after January 1, 2009.
The public health association Action on Smoking and Health advised that” the bill alone will not be enough,” noting that in order to drastically lower the chance of adult smokers nationwide, the government must produce substantiation- grounded programs and boost backing.
According to recent data from the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Population Survey, 8.5% of Barnet residents who were 18 years of age or aged smoked cigarettes between 2020 and 2024.
It was hardly lower than 9 throughout the year five times, from 2019 to 2023.
The ONS uses the Annual Population Survey to monitor adult smoking patterns in the United Kingdom. It is the official indicator of smoking prevalence in England and is used to track the government’s 10-year health plan for England’s goal of having a generation free of tobacco use.
The largest chance of smokers was still set up among individuals between the periods of 25 and 34 (12.6), while the smallest chance was set up in those 65 and aged (7.1).
Since the launch of ONS data, the chance of grown-ups in the UK who bomb has dramatically dropped from 20.2 in 2011.
ASH CEO Hazel Cheeseman praised the nation’s lowering smoking trend, calling it” an achievement.”
She said:
“We have sustained progress because of a long-term commitment to comprehensive tobacco control, including support to help people quit.
The creation of smokefree generation through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the next important regulatory step to ending the harms from smoking in this country.”
But she warned:
“However, the bill alone won’t be enough.
Behind the statistic of five million people still smoking are individuals trapped in a cycle of addiction that will likely take their lives.
The cost of this is felt across the economy and places a significant burden on our NHS.”
She said the government should “accelerate progress, invest in what works, and support communities where smoking rates remain high” if it wants to significantly reduce smoking rates in the long run.
“We need a new strategy, alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, with clear targets and renewed ambition,”
she added.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
“Stopping smoking is one of the most important things to improve health and this data shows our action to help people quit is working.
In addition to our existing campaigns, we will continue to invest in stop smoking services to drive down rates.”
How are vaping and e-cigarette use affecting Barnet smoking trends?
Vaping and e-cigarette use are playing a significant part in Barnet’s smoking trends, especially as a tool to help grown-ups quit smoking. Barnet Council supports regulated vaping as a safer volition to tobacco smoking and as an effective aid for smoking conclusion.
Original public health officers emphasize that for smokers, switching to vaping is far less dangerous than continuing to bomb cigarettes. There’s an ongoing stimulant for smokers to use vaping as a quitting aid while advising non-smokers not to vape.
Data indicate that vaping is contributing to a decline in cigarette smoking among grown-ups, with smoking rates dwindling incompletely due to people switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. Still, there’s also a noted rise in vaping among young grown-ups and non – smokers, which poses new public health challenges.