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ASH Daily News

18 November 2005

[View html version: http://www.globalink.org/nbuk]

HEADLINES

Lifestyle changes prevent a third of cancers

Italy's smoking ban has led to an 8% drop in tobacco consumption

UK Leisure and hospitality companies back comprehensive smoking ban

Banning smoking in UK prisons may cause disorder: Police Chief warns


FULL TEXT

Lifestyle changes could prevent a third of cancers


More than a third of cancer deaths worldwide have preventable causes
that could be tackled by changing people's behaviour and their
environment, according to a study published today.

Majid Ezzati of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and
colleagues said in the Lancet medical journal that health interventions
could prevent a "substantial proportion" of the 7 million cancer deaths
a year worldwide, and be more effective in reducing mortality than
screening and ever-improving treatments.

Smoking is a factor in 21% of all cancer deaths, especially in men, with
alcohol and low fruit and vegetable intake accounting for 5% each. The
research highlights that smoking is linked to 856,000 deaths worldwide a
year from lung, bronchial and tracheal cancers, 184,000 oesophageal
cancers and 131,000 oral cancers. The figures are based on a review of
published studies, government reports and international databases, as
well as a reanalysis of primary data. Problems with missing information
meant they did not include other factors such as occupational risk or
exposure to ultraviolet light and passive smoking.

We will not eliminate cancer in the next 25 to 50 years," said Professor
Sikora from Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital. "That is not
possible. Even if everyone stopped smoking tomorrow there would still be
cancer in 2025."

A blood test to predict a person's risk of developing cancer may be
possible in a decade and this could help to motivate people to make
lifestyle changes.

The Guardian 18/11/05
http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,8363,1645380,00.html

Also reported in The Independent 18/11/05
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article327764.ece


Daily Mail 18/11/05
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in
_article_id=369013&in_page_id=1774&in_a_source=&ct=5

Link to abstract in The Lancet http://www.thelancet.com/ (full article
available to subscribers).




Italy's smoking ban has led to an 8% drop in tobacco consumption


The restriction of smoking in public places in Italy has led to an 8%
drop in cigarette consumption, says a new study reported in the British
Medical Journal (BMJ).

The study reveals that the ban on smoking in indoor public places has
been almost universally accepted and does not seem to have had an
adverse effect on business. "The results of our study on the first
extensive smoking ban in a large country show the advantages of
smoke-free legislation, which may have major public health
implications," wrote the authors, who come from a number of centres and
organisations in Milan and Rome, including the Istituto di Ricerche
Farmacologiche, the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, the Istituto DOXA, and
Gallup International.

On 10 January this year the Italian government banned smoking in all
indoor public places, including cafes, restaurants (except for a few
with separate and regulated smoking areas), airports, and railway
stations, as well as in all public and private workplaces.

The study compared smoking consumption data from nationally
representative, population based surveys and from official sales
figures.
Data from official legal sales data show that 28.3 million kg of
cigarettes were sold in Italy in the period January to April 2005. In
the same period in 2004, 31.1 million kg were sold.

"This corresponds to a decline in cigarette sales by 8.9%. This compares
well with a 7.6% fall in consumption revealed by the comparison between
results from the 2005 survey and those from a companion survey conducted
in March-April 2004," the authors wrote.

The study shows that support for the ban grew after it came into force.
The percentage of people in favour of a smoking ban in public places was
83.3% in 2001 but was more than 90% after the ban came into force.

The results also indicate that businesses have not been adversely
affected. Just under 10% of men and women said they went more often to
cafes and restaurants after the ban was introduced, while 7.4% said they
went less often.

"The study quantified the fall in cigarette sales since the ban came
into force in Italy at around 8%," write the authors. "These results
suggest that smoke-free legislations do not unfavourably affect the
business of restaurants or cafes."

BMJ 19/11/05
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7526/1159-a/DC1

Full study in Annals of Oncology 7/11/05
http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/mdj070v1?ijkey=ec1
8877b2205cd6d53d1d6c261a411ed6fe9120b&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha



UK Leisure and hospitality companies back full smoking ban


The UK's biggest leisure and hospitality companies attacked the
government's compromise to introduce a partial smoking ban, calling
instead for a full ban in 2010.

Business in Sport and Leisure, which represents companies that include
Hilton, Whitbread, Gala, Royal Bank of Scotland and British Sky
Broadcasting, criticised the proposals as inconsistent.

The group said plans to ban smoking in pubs serving food but not in
private members' clubs or pubs that do not serve food would create an
unfair competitive advantage.

It wants a total ban to avoid customers moving to venues where smoking
is still permitted. The companies also want the ban to be implemented
gradually to give businesses and customer's time to prepare for it.

"What industry needs is clarity, consistency and a level playing field,"
said Neil Goulden, the chairman of BISL and the chief executive of Gala,
the betting and gaming operator. "The government is not giving us any of
those things."

"The anecdotal evidence shows pubs that have gone smoke-free found that
food sales have gone up, while drink sales have gone down. If you say to
businesses that they can go food-led or drinks-led they will go
drinks-led, which flies in the face of all the discussion about binge
drinking," Brigid Symmonds, from Business in Sport and Leisure said.

Financial Times 18/11/05
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/2ea8d6e4-57ad-11da-8866-00000e25118c.html

The Financial Times also has a poll on what the government should do ie:
part ban/full ban/sealed smoking rooms etc. You might like to consider
voting
http://forums.ft.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=646099322&f=451094803&m=753
1013001



Banning smoking in UK prisons may cause disorder: Police Chief warns


Banning smoking in prisons would cause "disorder" and an increase in
assaults on staff, the Mr Phil Wheatley, head of the prison service has
warned.

Mr Wheatley said about 80% of prisoners smoked and a total ban would
only "drive it underground". Prisoners should be allowed to smoke in
their cells but it should be banned in other indoor areas, he told MPs.

Mr Wheatley said a total ban in prisons would put staff at risk from
physical assault.
"I would expect to find there was an increase in incidents of assaults
on staff, we ended up with prisoners who were more likely to be
troublesome and an increased risk of disorder," he told the Commons
health select committee.

There was also a question of prisoners' welfare. "We do need to make
sure we do not cause significant problems for disturbed people arriving
with us with already a multitude of problems, many of them coming off
drugs, many of them with serious alcohol problems and many of them
potentially suicidal. As we try to settle them into prisons I don't want
to keep any more pressure on them than I need, in the interests of
keeping people alive and safe."

He said he wanted to see smoking by staff and prisoners restricted to
outdoor areas - but he said prisoners should be allowed to smoke in
their cells.

Mr Wheatley stressed a total ban would also increase smuggling and make
tobacco "more available as a currency than it is" at the moment.

BBC News 17/11/05 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4445252.stm


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