What we know
What information do we have about the Eastern Board area?
What is the result of this on our health locally?
Policies
What is happening in the Eastern Board area?

Smoking is the greatest preventable cause of premature death and avoidable illness. In Northern Ireland there are 2700 - 3000 deaths per annum as a result of smoking (1200 in the Eastern Board area).

It is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, strokes and other diseases of the circulatory system, which kill two in every five men and women here. A lifetime non-smoker is 60% less likely than a current smoker to have coronary heart disease and 30% less likely to have a stroke.

Smoking is responsible for one third of cancer deaths and is implicated in 90% of lung cancer deaths (Cancer in Northern Ireland 1993 - 2001, Cancer Registry Report 2004).

Smoking is a major cause of subfertility, with approximately 1200 men aged 30-49 years in the Eastern Board area suffering sexual impotence because of smoking. Smoking also damages sperm and reduces sperm quality. Female smokers have a lower rate of conception and the risk of infertility is doubled. Success rates for assisted conception techniques are lower for smokers. The risk of ectopic pregnancy is increased by 250% for female smokers (BMA – Smoking and Reproductive Life 2004).

Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of:

	Miscarriage by 25%
	Baby being born dead by 40%
	Death of the newborn by 40%
	Low birth weight by 300%
	Premature birth by 200%
	Foetal malformations (cleft lip, palate) by 30%
	Placenta praevia by 300%

Infants who are born to smokers or are exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to have a cot death.

The children of smokers are more likely to develop middle ear disease, asthma, respiratory illnesses, impaired growth and development and behavioural problems (BMA – Smoking and Reproductive Life 2004).

Females who smoke experience alterations in sex hormones, may develop a male–like body shape and go through the menopause on average two years earlier than non-smokers. The risk of developing painful and irregular periods is also increased.

It is estimated that every cigarette shortens life by 14 minutes and that 1 in every 2 smokers will die prematurely as a result of their smoking.

Smoking is the major cause of inequalities in health and the principal cause of the gap in life expectancy between the lower and higher socio-economic groups.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) is a cause of lung cancer and in those with long term exposure the risk is in the order of 20-30%.

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In 2004/05, approximately 26% of people aged over 16 years who lived in the Eastern Board area smoked as compared to 30% in 1992/93 (Continuous Household Survey 2004/05 and 1992/93).

Smoking is much more popular in the lower than the higher socio-economic groups. In the Eastern Board, 13% of professional workers and 44% of manual workers smoke (Continuous Household Survey 2004/05). In 2003, a survey of prisoners in Northern Ireland found that 65.5% of respondents were smokers (Improving the Health of Prisoners in Norther Ireland, 2004, J McCall Part II Project).

Smoking is identified as an antenatal risk factor on the Child Health System. One quarter of all women in the EHSSB continue to smoke during pregnancy, with particularly high rates in North and West Belfast and also among younger mothers.

The ‘Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey’ in 2003 found that 32% of pupils aged 11-16 years have smoked tobacco, 24% smoking daily (13% of boys and 12% of girls) (The Young Persons' Behaviour and Attitudes Survey 2000, NISRA).

The Health and Wellbeing Survey of 2001 showed that 52% of men and 45% of women were regularly exposed to ETS. Younger men (76%) and women (74%) aged 16-24 years were the most likely to be exposed to ETS (Health and Wellbeing Survey, 2001).

It is estimated that smoking causes 1080 – 1200 deaths in the EHSSB each year.

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	One in every two smokers die prematurely.
	The cost of smoking in terms of health is high, 1.5 million working days are lost each year due to smoking related illnesses and in 2003/04 the estimated costs of treating active smokers for the main smoking-related disease is £30 million (Draft Smoking (NI) Order 2006 - Integrated Impact Assessment).

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