Smoking rates in parts of England have increased for the first time in nearly two decades, according to research.
Academics at University College London examined smoking data for more than 350,000 adults in England over an 18-year period. They found that while the proportion of adults who smoke cigarettes, pipes, cigars or other forms of tobacco fell from 25.3% of the population in 2006 to 16.5% in 2024, progress since 2020 has flatlined and in some areas smoking rates are increasing again.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, found that smoking increased 10% in southern England between 2020 and 2024. In contrast, rates decreased by 9.7% over the same period in the north.
Previous research suggested women are smoking more, while rates declined the most among younger adults, with little change in the older age groups. And with increases in those trying and successfully quitting, the suggestion is that there may have been an increase in relapses to smoking in recent years.
The south-west saw the biggest jump in smoking rates, UCL found, rising by 17% to a figure of 18.7% between 2020 and 2024, while rates in the south-east and London rose by 9% and 8% respectively.
Extrapolating these figures for the whole population would mean an estimated 7.5 million adults in England smoke. Of these, 3.3 million adults smoke in London, the south-east and south west – nearly 400,000 more than in 2020.
In contrast, there are 2 million smokers in the north of England – 160,000 fewer than in 2020.
Over the 18 years to 2024, smoking rates have almost halved in the north, dropping from 28.8% to 15.8%, and are now lower than smoking rates in the south, the study found. Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said that this reflected the concentration of dedicated tobacco control programmes in northern regions.
“It’s vital that stop smoking services are made easily and equally available across the country, so that everyone – wherever they live – can access the right tools to quit for good.”
But some experts fear 50% cuts to integrated commissioning boards (ICBs), which fund services such as inpatient tobacco treatment, could jeopardise further progress. Hazel Cheeseman, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “The accelerated progress on smoking in the north compared with the south is because of sustained investment over many years. Much of this has come from local government but the NHS has also made significant contributions. With cuts planned across ICBs, we’re concerned that this investment might not be maintained. If cut, the country risks going backwards and failing to deliver on the vision of a smoke-free country. As the NHS reorganises, it must take the chance to learn from places that are outperforming on prevention and apply those lessons to the whole country.”
Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: “A future free from the harms of tobacco is in sight, but we can’t afford to lose any momentum.
“Budget pressures and changes to NHS England can’t compromise funding for programmes that help people quit – tackling smoking must be a key priority as our health services evolve.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The landmark tobacco and vapes bill will create the first smoke-free generation and put us on track to a smoke-free UK.
“We are also committed to supporting current smokers to quit. We’re investing an additional £70m for local stop smoking services this year, and we are working to ensure that all NHS hospitals offer ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation services.”
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “It’s really encouraging to see that smoking rates have dropped across England and that differences between regions are beginning to narrow. But it’s concerning to see rates stagnate and even rise in some areas.
“GPs see the devastating consequences of smoking every day in our surgeries – we see patients facing years of ill health, preventable conditions, and early death because of smoking. We also know how incredibly hard it can be to give up smoking once it becomes an addiction, and many of our patients do try very hard to stop. GPs and our teams have played a major part in encouraging millions of people to quit the habit, and live healthier lives as non-smokers.”
Source: theguardian.com
