ASH Wales calls for smoking in pregnancy to be treated as an addiction not a lifestyle choice

ASH Wales welcomes a report by Cardiff University highlighting how the stigma of smoking in pregnancy can stop women from getting the help they need to quit.

Currently 16% of women in Wales continue to smoke through their pregnancy so, as the report highlights, there is a strong need for smoking cessation services that engage pregnant smokers rather than isolating them.

Indeed, interviews ASH Wales has carried with health professionals working alongside pregnant smokers reinforces the findings that the stigma attached to smoking in pregnancy prevents many women from engaging with smoking cessation services.

However, while it is important to acknowledge the barriers to women seeking help, ASH Wales is concerned that the report portrays smoking as a lifestyle choice and coping strategy for pregnant women rather than an addiction.

The report describes pregnancy as a challenge to women’s ‘independent choices’, including smoking.  Women do not smoke through pregnancy by choice, they do so because they are physically addicted to nicotine – an addiction which can have devastating consequences in pregnancy, ranging from premature birth to miscarriage, stillbirth or sudden infant death.

The idea that pregnant women smoke through choice is contributing to the stigma and sense of shame these women face.  It is crucially important to acknowledge that this is a physical addiction not a choice and must be treated as such by women’s families, loved ones and the health professionals that work with them.

ASH Wales is working with health boards across Wales to find out the best ways of engaging with pregnant smokers and continues to help raise awareness of the impact of nicotine addiction on unborn babies. To find out more click here 

Ground breaking scheme to help employees quit smoking at work praised by ASH Wales

Tobacco control campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Wales has praised a manufacturing firm after workers quit smoking thanks to a ground breaking workplace scheme.

It is urging other companies to follow the example of the manufacturing firm Sandvik Osprey which holds smoking cessation sessions run by NHS Wales at its Neath Port Talbot plant.

Sheraine Thomas, who is the Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Manager at the company, came up with the innovative idea of organising the sessions within the workplace, after becoming concerned about the number of workers who smoke and the effect this was having on their health.

After conducting a survey to find out whether staff would support the idea, she arranged for an NHS Wales smoking cessation advisor to hold group sessions at the company’s site in Neath Port Talbot. Every week the advisor spoke to the group about their progress, measured their carbon monoxide levels using a CO monitor and advised on nicotine replacement therapy to combat cravings.

SHEQ Manager Sheraine, now hopes to see a reduction in the amount of time workers are having to take off due to sickness exacerbated by smoking.

“Stopping smoking strengthens the immune system and I really think it will make a difference to how many people go off work ill,” she said.

“One staff member who took part said he hasn’t had to go the doctors once since he gave up smoking 12 months ago.

“Another employee who quit went on to organise setting up a squash league and asked the SHEQ team to start a weight loss club. It has made a big difference to these people’s lives.”

She said she believes the convenience of staff being able to attend sessions within the workplace and the fact they have been there to support each other’s quit attempts has been a big motivating factor for those taking part.

“The reason why I think it has been so successful is because it is here. The smoking cessation advisor came to the site and ran the sessions every week at the same time. The guys taking part have kept in touch with each other by phone and seen each other on site. One guy told us he’d wanted a fag one day but he and a friend had a chat and they motivated each other to stay on track.”

Mark Grey (pictured above left) who took part in the sessions, successfully quit and now vapes, having previously smoked 20 cigarettes a day – a habit he started at just 14-years-old.

He agrees that having the support of his colleagues helped to spur him along: “It really helped that I was with the boys every week and we kept asking each other how we were getting along and giving each other support.

“I breathed into a CO monitor every week which was really motivating. In the first week my level was 22 and by the second week it was 3. I couldn’t believe it had come down so much in just one week. I do think that more people would give up if they did this in other workplaces.”

He was first motivated to give up for the sake of his children and said that since quitting he no longer craves cigarettes and has taken up going to the gym to relax instead:

“I just thought I’d had a gut full really. I been smoking for 20 years, since I was 14 and I smoked around 20 a day. I’ve got five kids, aged 22 to 4 and I decided to give up for them really.

“I don’t miss smoking and these days I don’t like the smell of cigarettes at all. I don’t have any cravings and I’ve gone back to the gym so that has taken my mind off things. I just feel better in myself generally. I don’t have smoky clothes anymore and less of a cough. I feel brilliant and I’d never go back to smoking.”

Nicholas Cromwell  (pictured above right) works with Mark and gave up after smoking up to 40 cigarettes a day for 22 years from the age of 16.
He too gave up for the sake of his children and says he hasn’t looked back since:

“It was really starting to affect my health. I struggled to play with my kids and would get out of breath even climbing up the stairs. One day my daughter turned to me and said: ‘Daddy when are you going to stop smoking?’.

“I promised her I’d give it a go then on New Year’s Day I had a light bulb moment and thought, ‘that’s it, I’m going to give it a go’.”

He too gave up using a vaporiser and has taken up exercise, training at the gym, cycling with his son and ditching junk food for a healthy diet instead.

Sheraine is now gathering together the next group of quit smoking recruits for sessions due to commence on 27th February 2019.

Suzanne Cass is CEO of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH Wales). She said the success of the scheme at Sandvik Osprey demonstrates the role that employers can play in helping to cut smoking prevalence in Wales as part of their staff wellbeing programmes.

“Smoking costs Welsh businesses around £88.4 million a year and there are numerous benefits to employers of reducing the numbers of workers that smoke – from increased productivity to a greatly reduced levels of sickness absence.

“Only 3.1% of smokers in Wales accessed NHS quit smoking services in 2017/18 which falls far below the Wales Tobacco Control Action Plan target of 5%.

“By making smoking cessation services more easily accessible by providing them in the workplace, these numbers could potentially rocket – especially as our research has shown that 64% of smokers in Wales would like to quit.”

ASH Wales Calls For Review Of E-Cigarette Recommendations In Wales

ASH Wales is calling for a review of recommendations around e-cigarettes in Wales, after a study showed they make quitting smoking easier.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1549021711160{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The study led by Queen Mary University of London tested e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement products (NRT) such as patches and gum on 900 smokers in the first study of its kind.

It found that 18.0% of those using e-cigarettes managed to successfully quit smoking and were smoke free after a year, compared to just 9.9% of smokers using other forms of NRT.

The smokers taking part in the study were attending UK NHS stop smoking services and were provided with the products for up to three months. Each participant also received weekly one-on-one behavioural support and CO monitoring for up to four weeks.

The only previous trial comparing e-cigarettes with other NRT used early forms of e-cigarettes which delivered low doses of nicotine and involved no face to face contact with those taking part.

ASH Wales supports the use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool, based on clear evidence which shows e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

ASH Wales CEO Suzanne Cass said: “Currently 7% of adults in Wales use e-cigarettes – roughly 179,000 people, the vast majority of which are using them to try to quit or cut down smoking.

“Based on these figures there are tens of thousands of Welsh smokers that are yet to try an e-cigarette.

“Health professionals working in smoking cessation have a golden opportunity to promote a product which is both popular and highly effective, as this study shows.

“ASH Wales is calling for a more consistent approach on the part of health professionals when it comes to recommending e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.”

Lead researcher Professor Peter Hajek of Queen Mary University of London, said he believes the results of the study will lead the way for more health professionals to recommend the use of e-cigarettes: “Although a large number of smokers report that they have quit smoking successfully with the help of e-cigarettes, health professionals have been reluctant to recommend their use because of the lack of clear evidence from randomised controlled trials. This is now likely to change.”

Currently in Wales 19% of adults smoke, leading to over 5,000 deaths and 26,489 hospital admissions every year at a cost of £302 million to the Welsh NHS.

Relight your fire by giving up smoking this St Dwynwen’s Day

THIS St Dwynwen’s Day why not ditch the hearts and flowers and give your beloved the gift of a smoke-free life instead.

As a smoker, your habit will endanger the health of those around you and could be a deal breaker in some relationships. Meanwhile research has shown that smoking is a major turn-off for prospective partners, with a survey carried out by oxygen therapy provider Inogen last May finding that 70% of women are put off by those who smoke and 56% would not consider dating a smoker. Of the men that were surveyed 46% said they wouldn’t date a smoker and 65% said they found smoking unattractive.

An earlier survey by the Department of Health carried out in 2012 found that around half of respondents would think twice about starting a relationship with a smoker.
At the time, the relationship website eHarmony.co.uk said 81% of its members said they would not want a heavy smoker as a partner. Meanwhile at Match.com 72% of male members and 73% of female members said they wanted a non-smoking partner.
If your partner agrees that smoking is the ultimate passion killer, here are a few reasons why stubbing out your cigarettes could relight your fire this St Dwynwen’s Day.

An unhealthy habit ?
There are numerous health risks associated with smoking. Smoking results not only in coughs, colds wheezing and asthma but fatal conditions such as pneumonia, emphysema and lung cancer. Around 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are caused by smoking.
Smoking also causes major damage to the heart, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. Nicotine and carbon monoxide from smoking puts a strain on the heart leading to a higher risk of blood clots. Other chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the lining of the coronary arteries and double a smoker’s risk of having a heart attack. Other cancers linked to smoking include head and neck cancer, stomach cancer and kidney cancer.

Second hand smoke ?
When you smoke it’s not just your health that is affected. Second hand smoke poses a serious health risk to those around you, particularly children. Research has shown that exposure to second hand smoke raises an infant’s risk of lower respiratory tract infections by around 50%. Meanwhile adult non-smokers have a 20 to 30% of developing lung cancer and a 25 to 35% higher chance of coronary heart disease if they are exposed to second hand smoke.

Smoking in the home ?
Did you know that 80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and continues to linger in the home for up to five hours after a cigarette has been extinguished? And because cigarette smoke is made up of particles smaller than household dust it moves easily, spreading its poison from room to room.
Third hand smoke is the tobacco residue left behind after smoking, which builds up and stains surfaces and furnishings. It can be easily ingested by children who put their hands in their mouths after touching contaminated surfaces. Smoking also poses a major fire risk in the home with somebody dying from a fire caused by a cigarette every three days in the UK.

Bad teeth ?
The nicotine and tar in cigarettes causes smokers’ teeth to become stained yellow or brown and can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Not surprisingly too, many smokers also suffer from bad breath

Money ?
Smoking is an expensive habit with 20-a-day smokers forking out around £56 a week and £243 a month on cigarettes. Even those who smoke 10 cigarettes a day face a hefty shopping bill at £120 a month and £1,460 a year. For those addicted to cigarettes, smoking can exacerbate existing financial problems, leading to debt and a lower quality of life.

If you would like to give up smoking NHS Wales’ Help Me Quit service can find the smoking cessation support that will suit you best. Contact them at 0800 085 2219 or click here.

You may find it easier to quit if you have the support of others in the same boat. Our friendly Facebook group Quit Smoking (Wales), provides the opportunity to share your experience of quitting with both smokers and ex-smokers. Join the group here.

Wales’ top tobacco sniffer dog faces death threats from criminal gang

Meet Scamp, the elite tobacco sniffer dog who is so successful that his owner claims smugglers have put a price on his head.

During his five-year career, the springer spaniel has sniffed out £6 million worth of illegal tobacco, thanks to his powerful sense of smell and natural hunting instincts.

Owner Stuart Phillips who runs B.W.Y Canine in Pembrokeshire, says Scamp’s success rate at sniffing out illegal tobacco hauls means he poses a big threat to the criminals who smuggle in and sell the goods.

“We had to stop working in one part of the country last year, because there was a £25,000 bounty put on his head,” said Stuart.

“It was believed to be linked to an organised crime group and the relevant authorities were informed. I’ve also had death threats, my windscreen has been smashed and my tyres slashed,” he added.

“It’s understandable really, when you’re upsetting some really nasty people.”

Stuart trains specialist detection dogs to sniff out tobacco, firearms, drugs, explosives, meat and even human remains and works with more than 100 local authorities across the UK.

He says the scale of the illegal tobacco industry is vast with products smuggled in from as far afield as China or Russia and sold from shops or homes across Wales.

“It is a massive problem in terms of the volume available and the fact that it’s so readily available in shops. It’s available on social media, through Facebook, and in Wales we have what are generally called fag houses, people selling from their houses. Some of these people have been selling from their houses for years. They’re known throughout their communities for selling cheap cigarettes and cheap hand rolling tobacco.”

The cigarettes are sold at what Stuart describes as ‘pocket money prices’ making them readily available to children and to smokers who would not otherwise be able to afford them.
Even more disturbing however is their link to serious organised crime, with those buying illegal cigarettes often unwittingly funding the activities of organised crime groups.

“The public are not fully aware of what illegal tobacco is linked to,” said Stuart. “They are not just buying cheap cigarettes and cheap hand rolling tobacco. It has knock on effects with other criminality. Illegal tobacco is linked to drugs, to firearms, it’s linked to people trafficking and child sexual exploitation.”

In a special report by BBC Wales earlier this month, Trading Standards officers called for a government taskforce to tackle the problem, warning that criminals selling illicit tobacco target Wales due to a lack of investment in enforcement. New figures show that since 2013 150,000 illegal tobacco products have been seized in Wales.

Stuart whose dog YoYo has sniffed out £4.5 million worth of tobacco since he began work in 2014 is now training the next generation of sniffer dogs, using his tried and tested methods.
“Spaniels are especially good at being sniffer dogs because they have traditionally been used for hunting,” said Stuart.

“Their natural instinct is to sniff out birds and rabbits. Some days we could be searching five or six shops with each search taking around 25 minutes. We need dogs that are capable of doing that work day in, day out. These dogs are made to work, they are not made to sit around on a sofa all day.

Stuart trains the dogs to use their sense of smell starting off with games of fetch using a rubber toy. The next stage of the training is Odour ID Testing where the whole toy is hidden in one of a row of metal containers. The dog has to find the one that contains the toy and learn to give the handler an indication that it has found it. After that the dog must find increasingly small fragments of rubber from the toy and learn not to be distracted by decoy objects. It then progresses to sniffing out cigarettes.

An experienced dog like Scamp can find the tiniest fragment of rubber and everything from a single cigarette to a whole pallet load. He has also been trained to sniff out bank notes and has uncovered wads of cash worth up to £60,000.

He is the best weapon the authorities have in the war against illegal tobacco – a war Stuart says the authorities are a long way from winning: “My work load is huge. There’s not enough days in the week because it’s a massive problem,” he said.

A survey carried out by ASH Wales in 2014 revealed that up to 15% of all tobacco sold in Wales – around 1 million cigarettes a day – is illegal, the highest level in the UK. Meanwhile 45% of all smokers in Wales have been offered illegal tobacco and 70% of buyers agreed that it allows them to smoke when they can’t afford it.

END

Editor’s Notes
Enquiries:
Diana Milne, Communications Officer, ASH Wales 02920 490621 or 0781 851 8567 diana@ashwales.org.uk
Beth Mahoney, Marketing and Communications Manager, ASH Wales 02920 490621 beth@ashwales.org.uk

ASH Wales welcomes plan to tackle obesity in Wales

ASH Wales has welcomed the launch of Wales’ first strategy to tackle obesity – praising the government’s focus on the nation’s health and well-being.

As an organisation campaigning for tobacco control policies to reduce smoking prevalence in Wales, ASH Wales supports any efforts to tackle preventable diseases by helping to change people’s lifestyles.

The Welsh Government’s consultation Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales sets out a 10-year plan to reduce obesity in Wales amidst warnings that obesity could overtake smoking as a leading cause of preventable disease in the country.

Like obesity, smoking prevalence is linked to inequality, with the highest rates being in the country’s most deprived areas.  ASH Wales is calling for a targeted strategy to tackle both smoking and obesity and the links to inequality.

Smoking is the single biggest driver of health inequalities in Wales where 19% of the adult population smoke, a fifth of the population.  Smoking rates in the most deprived areas of Wales stand at 28% compared to 13% among the least deprived adults.

Across Wales lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths – there were 1,891 deaths from lung cancer in 2017 and it accounted for over two in every 10 cancer deaths – more than bowel and breast cancer combined.

ASH Wales CEO, Suzanne Cass, said:

“We support all efforts to improve the health and well being of  the nation and welcome the launch of a strategy to tackle obesity, in particular among children.

“ASH Wales campaigns not just to reduce smoking prevalence but to prevent future generations from taking up the habit by lobbying for tobacco control policies that help to de-normalise smoking.

“Strategies for tackling both smoking and obesity and protecting the health of future generations must be included in all Welsh Government health plans.”