Thurrock Launches New Strategy to Combat Smoking by 2028
Thurrock has unveiled an updated strategy to combat smoking. The document covers the period from 2023 to 2028 and focuses on reducing the overall number of smokers and addressing social inequalities.
The goal is to reduce smoking in the region to 7.1% by 2028 and reach the national target of 5% by 2030.
Smoking is Unevenly Distributed
Officially, 12.6% of Thurrock residents smoke. This is slightly below the England average. However, the statistics are skewed; the actual figure could be as high as 15.6% due to changes in the calculation method following the pandemic.
The main issue is not the numbers, but the distribution of them. The eight most deprived areas of Thurrock are the worst affected: 63% of all smokers live here. The difference in life expectancy between rich and poor regions is 9 years for men and 7 years for women. Half of this gap is explained by tobacco.
The most vulnerable groups include:
- manual workers (17.5%),
- people with mental health problems (22.1%),
- people addicted to opiates and alcohol (up to 50%),
- pregnant women (10.1%).
Four Areas and 15 steps
The strategy is based on four key priorities: prevention, creating a smoke-free environment, helping people quit, and communication.
Prevention is not so much about leaflets as it is about putting real pressure on illegal trade, stepping up controls in schools, and identifying teenage smokers through screening.
Creating a smoke-free environment involves all local authorities signing anti-smoking commitments, restricting smoking in residential areas, particularly in areas frequented by future parents, and implementing a strict policy in hospitals.
Support for quitting smoking will be targeted at the areas and groups most at risk. The Stop Smoking service is expected to become more accessible, with counseling integrated into NHS clinical pathways and the support program expanded to include vaping.
Communication and adaptation include a targeted information campaign, a relaunch of the monitoring system, feedback collection, and strategy
adjustments along the way.
Other stated objectives include increasing the number of people who quit smoking in depressed areas, reducing the percentage of smoking mothers-to-be, and adapting programs for ethnic groups with low coverage.
What the strategy includes:
- Reducing the availability of illegal tobacco
- Controlling sales to minors
- Involving schools in information campaigns
- Screening among adolescents and young people
- Creating smoke-free zones in institutions and workplaces
- Supporting smoking cessation in families of pregnant women
- Expanding access to smoking cessation services
- Improving statistics among ethnic minorities
- Improving the effectiveness of work with dependent and mentally vulnerable groups
What Will This Lead to?
Thurrock’s previous strategy (2016–2021) was recognized as successful. The region received national CLeaR accreditation. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tobacco Control Alliance effectively ceased operations. Now, if coordination can be restored, the strategy has a chance to regain its effectiveness.
Thurrock is pursuing a targeted and measurable public health policy. Its focus on statistics, local differences, and the actual behavior of residents makes this strategy more than just a declaration. The main thing is that the political course remains consistent over the five years.
