The Alliance has a clear, shared ambition to see smoking amongst adults reduced to 5% or lower by 2035 across Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City. Further to this, we want to make the harms of smoking a thing of the past for our next generation such that all of those born in 2022 are still non-smokers by their 18th birthday in 2040.
The remit of the Alliance is to take a whole-systems approach to continue to drive the work forward. We have adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control MPOWER model to help shape our direction:
- Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies.
- Protect people from tobacco smoke.
- Offer help to quit tobacco use.
- Warn about the dangers of tobacco.
- Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.
- Raise taxes on tobacco.
Priority areas
As an alliance we work collectively to address four priority areas. These include:
- Helping vulnerable groups to quit smoking
Smoking is more prevalent in deprived communities, living in social housing, working in routine and manual jobs, and people with poor mental health. Those with multiple needs, such as people experiencing homelessness, are especially likely to smoke. Working with cohorts to identify the right offer – co-production, seamless and easy access to services for individuals accessing tobacco dependency services, including development of choice and pathways. - Effective regulation of tobacco products
Keeping tobacco prices high, motivates smokers to quit and deters young people from starting. All these efforts can be undermined by illicit tobacco. Illegal, untaxed cigarettes and tobacco keep people smoking who would otherwise try to quit and are attractive to young people who want to experiment with tobacco. The Alliance is well placed to promote good practice with retailers and other businesses and to prevent illegal sales through intelligence gathering, enforcement and public communication. - Reducing exposure to second-hand smoke
Regular secondhand smoke exposure increases the risk of developing heart disease and lung cancer, two diseases that smokers are more prone to develop. Passive smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome in the foetus (cot death). Additionally, children who live in a smoke-filled home are more likely to develop allergies, asthma, and respiratory issues(16).
Young people are more likely to start smoking because they are exposed to other people smoking, live in environments where smoking is normalised, and have access to cigarettes and tobacco. As an alliance we can prevent smoking uptake by young people by enforcing smokefree regulations and promoting smokefree homes and smokefree public environments. Encouraging adults to protect children by supporting them to quit. Beyond the home, wherever children, young people, and young adults congregate, there is a case for going smokefree. Many public playgrounds are already smokefree and smokefree pavement licences have proved to be a popular innovation. - Prevention & engagement with children & young people
Action is required to prevent young people becoming smokers to work towards the ambition to have a smokefree generation. Over the last two years, uptake in smoking among young people has risen after a long period of decline (Table 1). Young people start smoking because they are exposed to other people smoking, live in environments where smoking is normalised, and have access to cigarettes and tobacco.
Smoking uptake by young people can be prevented by enforcing smokefree regulations and promoting smokefree homes and smokefree public environments. Supporting parents and carers to quit and keep cheap cigarettes off the streets. Ensure consistent messages about the role of e-cigarettes/vaping to ensure that those who use them do so for the purpose of stopping smoking and ensuring regulations and action stops the promotion of e-cigarettes/vaping to young people and those that do not smoke.