Working together to tackle smoking prevalence
Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness, premature death and health inequality throughout Northern Ireland. Around 2,300 people die prematurely each year from smoking-related illnesses such as coronary heart disease, stroke and many cancers.
Today [Monday 18 November] experts from across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland will gather at the inaugural Tobacco Control Conference, hosted by the Public Health Agency (PHA), to review recent developments, share good practice, and discuss key challenges and successful approaches to reducing smoking.
Dr Carolyn Harper, Director of Public Health at the PHA, said: “We want to share ideas about how best to tackle smoking, both in terms of helping people to stop and discouraging others from starting.
“Today’s event will provide an opportunity to share information to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.”
In February 2012, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety launched its ‘Ten-Year Tobacco Control Strategy for Northern Ireland’ which takes a multi-organisational approach to creating a tobacco-free society in Northern Ireland.
Dr Harper continued: “The PHA has responsibility for implementing this strategy, and one of the key purposes of today’s conference is to bring together those working in tobacco control to reflect on key developments within the field and to identify gaps in our current knowledge in respect of tobacco control.
“Reducing smoking prevalence is one of the biggest challenges we face in public health. One in every two smokers will die prematurely because of their smoking habit, and the PHA is committed to reducing the level of smoking within Northern Ireland.
“I would like to commend the work of everyone involved in providing stop smoking services and in developing and enforcing legislation to protect workers and the public from the damage caused by smoking cigarettes.
“We know that motivation and support is vital for every smoker who wants to quit and the PHA will continue to provide help to people trying to stop smoking through our ‘Want 2 Stop’ website, which is packed with information on quitting, and through our Smokers’ Helpline.
“However, we cannot afford to be complacent. The prevalence rate of smoking is still high. The PHA will work closely with the Department, trusts and partner organisations in the voluntary sector to prevent the recruitment of new smokers and reduce smoking prevalence in Northern Ireland,” Dr Harper concluded.
Speaking at the Conference Health Minister Edwin Poots said: “Smoking is one of the biggest health challenges we face, causing more preventable deaths each year than alcohol, obesity, road accidents and illegal drugs put together.
“While substantial progress has been made in the area of tobacco control in recent decades, adult prevalence rates have remained in and around 25% for the past five years. If we are to make significant inroads into our smoking prevalence rates, it is clear that a substantial step change is required. In my view, the focus of this change should be on preventing young people from starting to smoke.
“Today’s conference highlights the importance of sharing innovation, good practice and the latest developments so that people from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can benefit.”
Dr James Reilly, Health Minister for the Republic of Ireland, said: "In the Republic smoking prevalence has dropped down to 22%. A welcome development but still far too high when we know that tobacco-related illness kills one in two.
“Crucially the Government has now set 2025 as the date to achieve a tobacco-free environment and we have a wide-ranging plan to try and achieve that ambitious target. But more than anything else I am determined to try and stop young people from taking up this killer addiction in the first place. To that end I will shortly go to Government with heads of a bill for Standardised Packaging which will bring the grim reality of the harmful effects of smoking into greater view on cigarette packets themselves."