Working for a tobacco-free Scotland
04 April 2011
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of anti-tobacco charity ASH Scotland, today [Monday 4 April] called on Scotland’s political parties to ensure that reducing health inequalities and tackling smoking was at the heart of their public health strategies for Scotland. A month before the Scottish Parliament elections, Ms Duffy called for a new robust tobacco control action plan and outlined clear steps that could be taken to immediately start to tackle the widening health inequalities gap in Scotland, saying:
“ASH Scotland is very clear in what we need from our political parties in the run up to the May election. We want a commitment to tackling the health inequalities gap that Scotland faces and to do that, whoever takes office must tackle smoking and outline the actions and targets needed through a new robust tobacco control strategy for Scotland which has clear goals, challenging targets, and a robust evaluation programme.
“Today ASH Scotland has published a Tobacco and Inequalities Briefing which gathers together the data showing the high rates of smoking and corresponding high levels of tobacco related diseases and deaths. The briefing clearly shows that life expectancy, health problems, smoking rates, and deaths from smoking are all markedly different between Scotland’s richest and poorest communities. It also shows that in terms of cost, poorer income households spend a greater proportion of their total income on tobacco and that despite the myth that smoking is ‘pleasurable’ smoking is actually associated with poorer overall quality of life.
“Our next Scottish Government needs to have health inequalities and smoking at the heart of their public health strategy if they are to reduce this health inequalities gap; and they need to do this through a new tobacco control plan which has a focus on reducing the harm caused by smoking and second-hand smoke especially in those areas where smoking rates remain high. The first tobacco action plan was published six years ago and its targets have been reached or surpassed; it is time for a new strategy which will take Scotland through this decade and beyond.
“If we look at the statistics, what Scotland faces is clear: 43% of adults who live in deprived areas smoke, compared with 9% in the least deprived areas. 32% of deaths in Scotland’s most deprived areas are due to smoking compared to 15% in the most affluent. The pattern is similar for tobacco related diseases. The most deprived areas of Scotland have cancer rates nearly 31% higher than the least deprived and mortality rates are 68% higher. With deaths from coronary heart disease in under 65s it is 4.5 times higher in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least; and with stroke in under 65s, mortality is four times higher in the most deprived areas. We cannot accept that huge health burden in our most deprived communities any longer.
“There are a number of steps that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing that takes office in May could take. These include:
“The challenge for our politicians is to reduce the health inequalities gap caused by smoking; 13,300 deaths caused by smoking; reduce the illnesses that thousands suffer from; and protect our children from a lethal product. By tackling tobacco through a comprehensive strategy they can continue the good work of the last twelve years of a Scottish Parliament and make Scotland a healthier place for us all to live, work and bring up our families.”
Action on Smoking & Health (Scotland) (ASH Scotland) is a registered Scottish charity (SC 010412) and a company limited by guarantee(Scottish company no 141711). The registered office is 8 Frederick Street, Edinburgh EH2 2HB.
© 2012 ASH Scotland
ASH Scotland acknowledges with thanks the support of the British Heart Foundation and the Scottish Government in developing our website.
