Smoking Cessation

1. Smoking Cessation Ruby Poppleton Health Improvement Specialist

2. Background: smoking • Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of premature death in Stockton • 18% of deaths in adults over 35 are a result of smoking • People from lower socio-economic group who smoke, start smoking at an earlier age • Smoking costs Stockton approx. £56 million each year • The average smoker could save £2,873 a year by stopping smoking – based on £7.87 / 20 cigarettes a day • Cigarettes are as addictive as drugs such as heroin or cocaine

3. Smoking: Effects on health • Smoking is associated with a range of diseases - Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) and Cancer • Smoking during pregnancy – increases risk of miscarriage, premature births and a range of other health outcomes • Second-hand smoke - increases infant mortality rates by 40%, around 13,000 children need GP or Hospital treatment from glue ear, wheeze and asthma every year in the North East due to breathing in second-hand smoke in their home • Quality of life ↓– a 25 year old smoker can expect to lose 10 years of healthy and disability-free years of life compared to a person who don’t smoke

4. Smoking Prevalence in Stockton-On-Tees • 21.6% of adults smoke (approx. 32,000 people) • Massive inequalities in smoking prevalence across Stockton wards - strong correlation between smoking & deprivation • High smoking prevalence wards - Stockton Town Centre, Roseworth, Norton South, Newtown, Mandale & Victoria, Hardwick and Parkfield • Young people: • Stockton Social Norms Project: identified that approx. 15% of college students in sample smoked, with 38% taking up smoking at 14 years of age

5. Smoking Prevalence by Wards

6. Smoking prevalence continued… • Smoking in Pregnancy: 19.4% of pregnant mothers in Hartlepool & Stockton CCG area were reported as smokers at time of delivery (Q3 13/14) • Smoking in Mental health: High prevalence of smoking in those with mental health problems (70% in inpatient units) • Smoking in Occupation: Higher smoking prevalence amongst the Routine & Manual group than professional & managerial group

7. Challenges • Majority of smokers would like to stop smoking but find it difficult due to the addiction • average smokers usually require 4 to 5 attempts to stop smoking • some smokers require intensive support and motivation. • Smokers from the deprived wards or from the routine and manual group are less likely to succeed.

8. What could the VSC organisations do? • Provide brief advice and motivation to smokers to stop through the local stop smoking services • Organise peer support group - follow-up & given motivation • Raise awareness of the services and how the service could help individual • Engage and support smokers to access the services • ‘Denormalise’ smoking – to help create an environment that smoking will be viewed as more socially unacceptable for our children in the future

9. What is available to support people to quit? • For Smokers • Local Stop Smoking Services (SSS) with behavioural support & treatment – Pharmacy & drop-in across the Borough – people who stop smoking with the SSS is 4 times more likely to succeed • For VCS sector • Free training – Brief Intervention / second-hand smoke / shadowing opportunity • Free resources to borrow from the Public Health resource library – www.sphil.nhs.uk

10. Potential measures of success • Number of smokers given brief intervention • Number of smokers referred to the Stop Smoking Services • Number of smokers accessed the stop smoking services • Number of smokers who accessed the services and successfully quitted at 4weeks, 12 weeks and 6 months

11. Other requirement:- • Number of staff attended the brief intervention training • Demographic information e.g. age, occupation, ward details, previous unsuccessful attempts stop smoking • System in place to record service user’s smoking status /whether BI is given / whether individual has accepted the referral