Rushcliffe smoking rates revealed at 5.9% – among lowest in England according to PHE data. Nottingham city is 5th highest at 20.9%.
Overall, the East Midlands is the 3rd highest smoking prevalence rate in England, with 14.8% − compared to the national average of 13.9%.
The region is a tale of two halves however, with data showing that some districts have among the highest smoking rate nationwide, while others rank among the lowest. (see below data table for full list)
The worst offending district in the East Midlands and nationwide is Corby, with 27.5% of the population smoking. This is 13.6% higher than the England average and ranks the area as having the highest rate of smoking prevalence in the country out of the 315 districts.
incoln (24.8%) has the next highest smoking rate in the East Midlands – ranking the 3rd highest out of 315 districts in England. In third place for the region is Wellingborough (21.0%), which ranks 11 out of 315 nationally.
The figures were collated by Vape Club in a campaign to encourage smoking cessation, and sourced from official Public Health England figures released on 7th July 2020.
Other areas within the region fare better with their smoking rates. Rushcliffe has the lowest prevalence of smoking in adults (18+) in the East Midlands at 5.9%. This makes the district rank 307 out of 315 districts nationally, having one of the lowest smoking prevalence in the country as measured by ONS figures.
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Deputy Leader Cllr Debbie Mason said: “We’re pleased that the data from Public Health England reflects our ongoing commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our residents and the importance of our work with Rushcliffe’s Clinical Commissioning Group and partners to educate smokers on the benefits of quitting.
“Early research into COVID-19 also indicates that smokers may be at greater risk of developing severe symptoms should they contract the virus, making this a hugely important time to consider quitting.
“We are not complacent and will continue to work closely with partner organisations to help further residents make this significant, positive lifestyle change and give up smoking for good.”
Next lowest in the East Midlands is South Northamptonshire (6.7%) – which ranks 306 out of 315 in England for number smokers in the area – and the third lowest is Harborough (8.6%), with a national ranking of 286 our of 315.
The data reveals a detailed look at where smoking remains an issue and how successful NHS services have been able to encourage smoking cessation − the ‘quit rate’.
Looking to stem the habit, NHS services acrossthe East Midlands recorded a 1.95% ‘quit rate’ – above the average achieved across England (1.89%). The city of Derby has the best recorded quit rate in the region with 3.07%. However, in stark contrast to this the wider county of Derbyshire outside of the city has the lowest successful quit rate with just 0.9% kicking the habit.
The added pressure smoking puts on emergency services can be seen with varying successful quit rates across the region.
Dan Marchant, smoking cessation expert and Director of Vape Club, says:
“More and more people are starting to see that vaping offers a game-changing alternative to traditional smoking cessation methods. Figures show that vaping is actually twice as effective as other nicotine replacement products, and it is fantastic to see organisations such as Public Health England and the NHS embracing this public health breakthrough. However, there is clearly still a long way to go in getting the vaping message out to the millions of people still smoking in England.”
