New research suggests that smoking is one of the main causes of the 'health inequalities gap' between rich and poor.
The Lancet study, part-funded by Cancer Research UK, found that in England, Wales, the USA, Canada and Poland, men of lower social class, income or education, are twice as likely to die younger than men from a higher social, economic, or educational background. The study found that smoking accounted for more than half of this difference.
In Sheffield, the life expectancy of men in areas such as Woodside and Fir Vale, can be up to 15 years less than in areas such as Eccelsall and Millhouses. Men from more affluent areas of the city can expect to live until 86, compared to just 71 in poorer areas. For women the gap is even wider.
The rates of smoking across the city show similar differences. From local surveys the proportion of adults smoking is estimated to be as high as 45% in Burngreave and Darnall compared with only about 14% in Ecclesall and Fulwood.
Although statistics from small areas, such as neighbourhoods, have a high level of uncertainty, aggregate figures for the city show that those areas having the highest rates of smoking tend to have the worst health outcomes, such as dying prematurely. And the reverse is also true; those neighbourhoods with the lowest rate of smoking tend to have the best health outcomes.
John Soady, Assistant Director of Public Health at Sheffield West Primary Care Trust, said: "This latest study confirms what we have suspected for some time. We have known that people die earlier in less affluent relative to more affluent areas largely because of causes related to smoking, such as heart disease and some cancers."
"Knowing that smoking is itself the main cause of these differences goes to justify the emphasis that the Sheffield primary care trusts have placed on tackling smoking as a key part of our work to address the health inequality gap in the city. This is why the NHS offers a specialist Stop Smoking Service that is completely free and very effective at helping people quit. If you are a smoker the message is quit early before you die early."
You can contact the Sheffield NHS Stop Smoking Service on 0800 068 4490 (you won't be charged for the call), by visiting www.sheffieldstopsmoking.org.uk, or by talking to your GP, dentist or local pharmacist.
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