Children across Wales exposed to more second-hand smoke than ever during lockdown

As Wales’ lockdown continues, health campaigners have warned that children are being exposed to dangerous levels of second-hand smoke in their homes.

The warning comes as new research from the YouGov COVID tracker shows that 12% of smokers who live with children report that they are smoking more indoors than they did before lockdown. Meanwhile people who live in households that include children are 50% more likely to report being exposed to second-hand smoke since lockdown compared to those without children.

A separate survey carried out in February-March 2020 found that in Wales 13% of people with children in their household reported that someone smokes in their home most days. There are now fears that this proportion may have increased as a result of lockdown.

Children living in the most deprived households in Wales could be most at risk, with previous research having shown that social housing tenants in Wales are twice as likely as residents in other housing tenures to be exposed to second-hand smoke in their own home.

According to the YouGov COVID tracker research, parents who smoke are just as likely as other smokers to report making quit attempts and trying to reduce the amount they smoke during lockdown.  However, indications that lockdown is leading to more exposure to second-hand smoke has raised concerns that they may not be accessing the support they need to quit.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales, said: “We would urge smokers living in households with children to seek help to quit now or risk exposing their children to life threatening levels of second-hand smoke.

“With children confined for much of the day to their homes, they are at greater risk than ever of inhaling the toxic chemicals that could seriously harm their health.

“Unless smokers take action now to quit the habit, we could face a rise in the number of children with respiratory conditions who have been exposed to second-hand smoke in the home during lockdown, particularly among our most deprived communities.”

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma UK & British Lung Foundation Wales, added:

“The risks posed to children and young people by second-hand smoke is sadly being amplified by the fact we all have to stay at home for the majority of our time due to the lockdown.

“It’s important that parents, and those living with children, use this opportunity to quit smoking. This will not only improve their health, but it will also safeguard children in their home by reducing the risk of them developing a lung condition.

“We know quitting can be tough – but there’s a wide range of services and support now available. Even if you have tried in the past, with your family support at home and the fantastic service offered by Help me Quit I am sure that you will have the best chance to kick the habit for good.”

Second-hand smoke causes life threatening health problems in infants and children, raising the risk of more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, meningitis and sudden infant death.

Among adults, exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of a stroke, coronary heart disease and lung cancer in non-smokers.

Around 85% of second-hand smoke is invisible and continues to linger in the air for up to four hours after a cigarette has been stubbed out.  Smoke particles are smaller than dust particles and drift easily from room to room spreading toxic chemicals around the home.

NHS Wales’ Help Me Quit service is providing telephone support for all smokers that want to quit. Smokers can get in touch with them to receive free support by calling 0800 085 2219 or by visiting www.helpmequit.wales.

Smoker who quit over Covid-19 fears shares his story

Paul Dunstan, 28, who lives in Chepstow, stopped smoking over fears that it could put him more at risk from Covid-19. Here he shares his story and why lockdown could provide the ideal opportunity to quit.

I first started smoking towards the end of my final year of high school. I would mostly be at parties or other events and always socially. As I moved to college I began smoking during break and lunch times increasing my cigarette intake.

My triggers for smoking were mostly from socialising with other smokers, finishing a meal or requiring a break from loud and chaotic situations.

I never really noticed the financial aspect being a roll up smoker. Health wise however I had begun to notice that my lung capacity had been severely diminished. After heavy smoking days I could lie in bed and feel restricted on my top level oxygen intake and It could sometimes cause my breathing to become wheezy.

My dad gave up after much pressure from my mum and that really inspired me to give up. My mum had become hyper aware of how the coronavirus affected the lungs and would order me to quit every phone call like he did. I had already been worrying about my lung capacity so thought it a good time.

The first two days are incredibly difficult. My mood shifted wildly and I was on edge. You try to reason or make any excuse to have a cigarette. In the past when trying to quit I would even force arguments with others just to have an excuse to go out smoking afterwards. On day three your mood returns to normal and then it’s just about knowing your cravings and planning around them.

Like I said before a big trigger for me was socialising and that’s when I’d usually smoke. Obviously, during the lock down hanging out with other smokers is impossible so the only trigger I had then was eating. I used a vape pen with zero nicotine in for around three days until it ran out and then just used sweets. Having, something to actually smoke helped me greatly even though it was just flavoured syrup. I was worried about habit eating (my father has put on unhealthy weight since) so stopped with the sweets eventually as well.

Since stopping smoking my lungs definitely feel better. I was actually really surprised at the return of full lung capacity only two weeks after quitting.

My advice to any smokers who are thinking of quitting during lockdown is that if hanging out with other smokers is one of your strongest triggers to smoke I suggest you use the opportunity to quit whilst it presents itself!

Experts call on Wales’ pregnant smokers to seek help to quit to reduce their risks from Covid-19

A GROUP of leading experts are calling for pregnant smokers to seek help and quit to protect their health and the health of their unborn baby in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) say women who smoke during their pregnancies should be supported to give up, particularly during the pandemic.

Although current evidence has shown that pregnant women with no underlying conditions are not more likely to develop coronavirus, or be more adversely affected than other healthy young adults if they are infected, smokers are known to respond poorly to the respiratory condition.

Smokers are at substantially increased risk of suffering more serious complications if they develop Covid-19 because smoking weakens their lung defences, with emerging evidence from China showing that they are 14 times more likely to develop severe respiratory disease.

Smoking during pregnancy can also lead to greater risk of serious complications, such as miscarriage and stillbirth, putting the health of women and their babies at risk.

Across Wales, 16% of pregnant women smoke.  Smoking prevalence is highest among pregnant teenagers with 30% of pregnant 16 to 19-year-old’s smoking at the time of their baby’s birth and 33% at their initial assessment.

A RCOG spokesperson said: “It is especially important that women do not smoke in pregnancy during the current coronavirus pandemic, with the respiratory disease known to affect smokers more significantly than non- smokers.

“Pregnancy places more physical demands on a woman’s body and though current evidence suggests that pregnant women without underlying conditions are not at an increased risk of contracting the virus, or being more adversely affected by it than other healthy adults, smoking makes them more vulnerable to the severe effects of coronavirus.

“The RCOG cannot emphasise highly enough how important it is that women are supported to stop smoking during pregnancy to protect both their own health and that of their baby. Smoking is known to have a catalogue of adverse effects on mother and baby including an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and fetal growth restriction.”

Pregnant smokers in Wales are advised to seek help to quit from their midwife, obstetrician or GP and to continue to attend all available antenatal appointments.

The RCOG spokesperson continued: “Women who are looking for help to stop smoking should speak to their midwife, obstetrician or GP, all of whom will be able to signpost her to extra resources to help protect the health of both herself and her unborn baby. The RCOG also has a patient information resource on cessation of smoking during pregnancy, which includes lots of detail about the risks involved and the pathways available to women.”

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales said: “We know that all smokers are at increased risk of suffering serious complications from Covid-19 and that is more important now than ever for them to urgently quit the habit.

“For pregnant women, who are a vulnerable high-risk group, smoking already poses the threat of devastating health consequences and as Covid-19 continues to spread, there is now even more reason for them to give up.

“However, we must not forget that smoking is not a lifestyle choice, it is a powerful addiction and would urge all pregnant women to seek the support and advice of their midwife, their family and friends to quit now.”

She went on to say that any smokers who share a household with a pregnant woman should also consider quitting to reduce the risks posed by second-hand smoke.

“Second hand smoke poses serious health risks, with the toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke lingering in the home for up to 5 hours after a cigarette has been stubbed out.

“With families spending more of their time indoors under lockdown, smokers who live with pregnant women should seriously consider quitting for their sake if not to reduce their own risks from Covid-19.”

Re-iterating the measures that pregnant women have been advised to take during the Covid-19 pandemic, the RCOG spokesperson said: “Pregnant women have been put into the vulnerable group and should reduce social contact where possible. Where pregnant women can work from home, they should do so.

“There is currently no evidence to suggest that pregnant women are at a greater risk of becoming seriously ill if they develop coronavirus, than other healthy individuals.

“It is important to note these special measures for pregnant women do not mean self-isolation unless they are showing symptoms.  Pregnant women are still able to do things that are necessary in daily life, such as taking daily exercise outside, getting food shopping or attending work if an essential worker. It is very important that pregnant women continue to attend antenatal appointments which are essential to ensure her and her baby’s wellbeing.”

At the end of March, the Government announced additional ‘shielding’ measures for people thought to be at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus, this included pregnant women with significant heart disease (congenital or acquired).

These women were advised not to leave the house and avoid face-to-face contact where possible for at least 12 weeks. A letter was sent by the Government to those advised to shield with further information.

Anyone who wants help to stop smoking in Wales can call NHS Wales Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219 or visit helpmequit.wales.

There are online forums for people to support each other whilst quitting smoking such as Quit Smoking Wales. Advice can also be provided by pharmacies, however it is advised to call before visiting as pharmacies are extremely busy at this time.

For more information on quitting smoking in pregnancy visit the RCOG website https://www.rcog.org.uk.

Welsh smokers join the 300,000 people across the UK who’ve quit smoking due to Covid-19

Welsh smokers are among the 300,000 people across the UK who have quit over Covid-19 fears according to new figures released today.

According to a survey from the UK arm of YouGov’s international Covid-19 Tracker, a further 550,000 people in the UK have tried to quit, which equates to around 37,000 smokers in Wales. A further 2.4 million have cut down on the amount they smoke, due to concerns over the increased risk smokers face if they catch Covid-19.

Meanwhile quit smoking experts in Wales say NHS Wales’ Help Me Quit service has seen a 51% increase this month in the numbers of smokers calling them and is helping people quit in all parts of Wales.

YouGov’s survey is the first in the UK to reveal how coronavirus is changing smokers’ attitudes towards cigarettes. Among the survey’s findings researchers discovered that:

• 2% of ex-smokers say that they have quit completely recently due to COVID -19. This equates to around 300,000 people who are now ex-smokers because of concerns over Covid-19
• A quarter of ex-smokers say that Covid-19 makes it less likely they will relapse to smoking (4% say it makes it more likely they will relapse)
• 8% of smokers have tried to quit because of Covid – this equates to around 550,000 smokers in UK trying to quit.
• 36% have cut down how many cigarettes they smoke. This equates to around 2.4 million smokers cutting down the amount they smoke because of concerns over COVID-19
• 27% of smokers say they are more likely to quit because of Covid

Smokers face higher risks from Covid-19 because smoking damages the body’s natural lung defences and weakens the immune system.
It is also a leading cause of cardiovascular and respiratory and cancer conditions that put patients are high risk if they catch the virus.

Evidence has shown that smokers who contract Covid-19 have more severe symptoms.

Professor Keir Lewis who is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Swansea University has warned smokers about the risks they face from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. He said:

“As a lung doctor seeing Covid-19 patients every day, I do see that people who smoke suffer worse Covid disease symptoms and receive more intensive treatment.
“The increase in people quitting is fabulous news and may do as much to protect the NHS and each other in some instances as social distancing.

“This also means that some of the long-term devastating effects of smoking are being avoided.”

Suzanne Cass, is CEO of ASH Wales. She said:

“It’s great news that so many smokers in Wales are joining the hundreds of thousands across the UK who are quitting over concerns about Covid-19.
“This is quite simply the best decision they can make right now to protect their health and the health of those around them and to reduce pressure on the NHS.

“As well as significantly increasing the risk of suffering severe symptoms from Covid-19, smoking leads to devastating long-term health consequences and is the leading cause of premature death in Wales.”

Ashley Gould, consultant in Public Health at Public Health Wales, said:

“The NHS is helping people tackle Covid-19 in lots of ways, including providing expert advice and support to smokers, to boost their chances of quitting.
“NHS Help Me Quit services are available now, over the phone, and provide free medicines too. The health risks linked to Covid-19, for smokers and those they live with, can be reduced when people quit, and the NHS is ready to help. Search ‘Help Me Quit’ or call 0800 085 2219.”

A guide for smokers confused by nicotine and Covid-19 reports

If you’re a smoker or ex-smoker who has read reports that nicotine could prevent you from catching Covid-19, then you may be confused about what to do.

So far, the advice has been to quit smoking as this improves your chances of recovering from the virus.

You may now be wondering if quitting really is the best idea, with researchers looking at whether or not nicotine could protect you from catching the virus.

If you’re questioning whether quitting smoking is still the best way for you to protect your health, then the answer is YES.

Since the pandemic started, medical experts have warned that smokers are more likely to become seriously ill if they catch Covid-19. So even with the possibility that nicotine could offer protection against catching the virus, those smokers that do become infected are at far greater risks of developing severe symptoms.

Evidence suggests smokers and ex-smokers hospitalised with COVID-19 are at increased risk of greater disease severity.

quit for covidSmoking weakens the body’s natural lung defences by damaging the cells protecting the nose and upper and lower airways.

Smoking is the leading cause of many life- threatening lung and cardiovascular conditions that are high risk factors for Covid-19. A study from China found that smokers are in fact 14 times more likely to suffer serious illness if they develop Covid-19.

More recently data from the COVID Symptom Study app involving more than 3 million people from the UK, Sweden and US, found that  current smokers were 14% more likely to develop the three classic symptoms of coronavirus infection – fever, persistent cough and shortness of breath – than non-smokers.

Smokers were also 29% more likely to report more than five symptoms associated with COVID-19 and 50% more likely to report more than 10, including loss of smell, skipping meals, tiredness, diarrhoea, confusion or muscle pain. In addition, smokers were more than twice as likely as non-smokers to end up in hospital with severe symptoms of COVID-19 having tested positive for the disease.

The reports of a trial in France on nicotine patches to help prevent or lessen symptoms of COVID-19 should not put smokers off trying to quit, but encourage them to use other sources of nicotine to help them quit smoking tobacco.

Nicotine replacement therapy such as patches and gum are prescribed by doctors and provided by pharmacists as a safe and effective way to stop people from smoking.

Smoking tobacco, however is not safe. It contains over 5,000 deadly chemicals, many of which cause cancer and it is the leading cause of premature death in Wales.  Around the world, smoking kills 50% of those that take it up.

ASH Wales’ advice to smokers is to quit now to reduce their risk of suffering severe symptoms of Covid-19. Using Nicotine Replace Therapy, e.g. patches, gum and e-cigarettes, is an effective way to quit smoking and much less harmful than cigarettes.  Meanwhile non-smokers should never consider taking up a habit that is highly likely to one day kill them.

The World Health Organisation has issued a statement stressing that there is currently insufficient information to confirm any link between tobacco or nicotine in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. To find out more click here. 

NHS Wales Help Me Quit stop smoking service is offering free advice and support to smokers that want to quit via their helpline 0800 0085 2219. Alternatively visit www.helpmequit.wales.

ASH Wales runs an online support group on Facebook, Quit Smoking (Wales).

Swansea hospital stop smoking advisor – helping smokers to quit during Covid-19

We spoke to Fiona Edwards, who is a Smoking Cessation Practitioner and works with patients in hospital at Swansea Bay University Health Board.  She told us about her experiences in supporting people to stop smoking during the Covid-19 outbreak.

quitting smoking coronavirus

How are your patients feeling about the Covid-19 outbreak?

Usually my patients have a chronic respiratory illness, like COPD, and they are very worried about Covid-19.

I find people fall into one of two camps – some are more determined to quit smoking because of Covid-19 and some are much more stressed due to the outbreak, which does make it harder for them when trying to quit smoking.

Many people are worried about losing their jobs, and the worry of loss of finances, and for them that is the biggest reason for wanting to quit smoking, in order to save the money they are spending on cigarettes.

 What happens when your clients decide they want to quit smoking and are referred to you?

We are aligned with the pharmacies in the hospitals, so patients are referred to us from them. Sometimes they are still in hospital, for example this week I have been working with patients who are in coronary care in Morriston Hospital.

Normally (when not in lockdown) I go into the wards and see patients face-to-face with support sessions to quit smoking. This is not possible with the current lockdown procedures in place, so I phone the ward, speak to the patient over the phone, and we discuss what smoking cessation medication might be suitable for them. I then arrange delivery of the medication, usually Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, gum etc) to the ward. We usually arrange for them to go home with 2 weeks’ worth of medication with discharge, and then they will continue to receive medication for a total of 12 weeks.

stop smoking advice covid 19If people are already at home when I start the support with them, I phone them and when we decide on what type of nicotine replacement therapy or medication suits them best, I post a letter to their home which they can take to the pharmacy to pick it up.  If they are unable to leave their home, I send it to the pharmacy and then the pharmacy can arrange delivery.

What other issues do you find people quitting smoking are facing during the lockdown?

People who are using vape to quit smoking are having a difficult time because the vape shops are currently closed for the lockdown. They are concerned about ordering vape liquids and equipment from the internet in case of safety issues. They often prefer a particular brand but are now unable to find it.  Also vape shop owners can be very knowledgeable and helpful advising people on which product best suits them and how to use them.

I am worried that it has become far easier for vapers to buy tobacco rather than vape, and that many vapers are going to say to themselves that they may as well buy cigarettes during the lockdown, and become hooked again.

I have worked with a lot of people over the 5 years that I have been a smoking cessation advisor and for some people who have been trying to quit for years, vaping is the one thing that has really made a difference.  It doesn’t make sense that people can buy paint and garden furniture but they can’t buy vape products which are keeping them off smoking.

If you would like help to quit smoking, you can call the NHS Wales Help Me Quit service on 0800 085 2219 or visit the website helpmequit.wales for telephone support plus free stop smoking medication.