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** 3 January 2023
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** UK
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** England unlikely to hit smoke-free target (#1)
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** Waitrose stops selling single-use vaping products (#2)
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** International
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** One-in-ten cigarette smokers in their 40s suffer cognitive decline - but quitting can reverse the damage, study finds (#3)
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** UK
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** England unlikely to hit smoke-free target
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**
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** The Government will not meet its current target to curb the number of smokers in England by 2030, according to new analysis.
In 2019 ministers set out an ambition for England to become “smoke-free” by 2030 – which is said to be achieved when adult smoking rates fall to 5% or less.
But Cancer Research UK said that it may take almost an extra decade for the target to be met. The charity said that progress in cutting the number of smokers has “slowed”.
A new report from the charity adds that in 2030, some 8.3% of the population will describe themselves as smokers.
Cancer Research UK has called for Health Secretary Steve Barclay to do more to curb smoking rates, including to consider raising the age at which people can buy cigarettes and to invest more in stop-smoking services. If the Government cannot afford this, it should make the tobacco industry “foot the bill”, the charity added.
Professor Charles Swanton, chief clinician of Cancer Research UK said: “If the Government is serious about a smoke-free England, action to create an environment that makes it easier for people to live healthy lives will be key. It must take on board the recommendations from the Khan review and publish a plan to stop people from ever starting to smoke and help people quit.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Government remains committed to its Smokefree ambition by 2030, and the action we are taking means smoking rates in England are at an all-time low."
Source: The Independent, 29 December 2022
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** See also: Cancer Research UK - England slips further off-track for smokefree 2030 target ([link removed])
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** Waitrose stops selling single-use vaping products
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** Waitrose has stopped selling single-use vaping products because of their negative impact on the environment and the health of young people.
The popularity of products such as e-cigarettes has soared over the past year, with vaping in Great Britain reaching record levels. About 4.3 million adults are regular vapers, according to a recent report.
The ONS said vaping devices such as e-cigarettes had played a major role in reducing the prevalence of tobacco smoking across the UK. It added, that the proportion of vapers was highest among current cigarette smokers at 25.3%, and former cigarette smokers at 15%. Only 1.5% of people who have never smoked said they vaped.
Vaping is considered to be substantially less harmful than smoking, according to a major review of nicotine products, but action is needed to tackle the sharp rise in e-cigarette use among children.
Despite it being illegal to sell the devices to under-18s, research indicates a steep rise in underage vaping over the last five years, with the proportion of 16- to 18-year-olds who say they use e-cigarettes doubling in the past 12 months, according to Action on Smoking and Health.
Source: The Guardian, 31 December 2022
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** See also: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities- Nicotine Vaping: 2022 Evidence Update ([link removed]) | ASH - Use of e-cigarettes among young people in Great Britain ([link removed])
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Read Here ([link removed])
** International
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** One-in-ten cigarette smokers in their 40s suffer cognitive decline - but quitting can reverse the damage, study finds
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** Smoking cigarettes can cause a person to suffer cognitive decline in their 40s, a new study finds.
A study of 136,018 participants over the age of 45 by a team at Ohio State University (OSU) found that 10% of smokers middle-aged or older suffered from memory loss and confusion. Overall, smokers were twice as likely to experience brain problems than their peers.
Research published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, surveyed a sample of nearly 140,000 people on their smoking, and whether they feel they have suffered memory loss during that period. They found that 8% of people who had never smoked in their lives experienced cognitive decline.
Meanwhile, 16% of current smokers reported suffering from brain issues and memory loss, many of whom were of an age considered young to be experiencing such problems. Just under 10% of participants aged 45 to 49 reported brain issues when surveyed - with researchers noting that these were almost all among smokers.
“The association we saw was most significant in the 45-59 age group, suggesting that quitting at that stage of life may have a benefit for cognitive health,” said Dr Jeffrey Wing, senior author of the study and epidemiology professor at OSU.
Source: Daily Mail, 23 December 2022
See also: Relation Between Smoking Status and Subjective Cognitive Decline in Middle Age and Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data ([link removed])
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