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ASH Daily news for 23 June 2011

HEADLINES

  • MP calls for smoking ban in cars carrying children

    A  Labour MP has called for a ban on adults smoking in cars where children are present, saying it would bring "tremendous" health benefits.

    Alex Cunningham told MPs that children were particularly vulnerable to the effects of passive smoking and could not "remove" themselves from cars where cigarette smoke was circulating.

    Mr Cunningham said the "science was clear" about the dangers of passive smoking and that societal attitudes had changed on the issue in the past decade - reflected by the ban on smoking in public transport, planes and taxis.

    Research suggested more than 300,000 children visited doctors every year with health problems associated with passive smoke, he said, while there were 20,000 new cases of asthma and wheezing among children every year.

    The Labour MP acknowledged many people felt the car was a "private space" but he believed it was children's space as well and "some people were invading it with dangerous smoke".

    But Tory MP Philip Davies said it should be up to parents to decide whether they smoked in cars and there was a "complete lack of evidence" about the beneficial impact of the proposal.

    Source: BBC News, 22 June 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/jUvOoW

  • Smoking during pregnancy declines

    The Infant Feeding Survey, a report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the number of women smoking during pregnancy fell from 33% to 26% between 2005 and 2010.

    Women in routine and manual jobs were the most likely to smoke (40%, down from 48% five years ago), while those in professional and managerial jobs were the least likely (14%, down from 20%).

    Those who smoked throughout the whole of their pregnancy were most likely to have never worked (21%), with the rate only 4% among professional and managerial women.

    The younger women were, the more likely they were to smoke –57% of under-20s compared with 15% of the over-35s.

    Rosie Dodds, senior policy adviser for the National Childbirth Trust, said: "It's great news that more women are starting to breastfeed and that more are getting the support they need to stop smoking while they are pregnant.

    Source: The Guardian, 21 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/jmh4Qf

  • Swindon crackdown on fake tobacco

    Swindon's shop owners are being shown how to spot fake and smuggled cigarettes in an effort to crackdown on counterfeit sales.

    Trading standards officers will visit nearly 100 independent retailers in the town offering advice on spotting bootleg goods.

    Councillor Colin Lovell said that smaller businesses "feeling the pinch" were being targeted by "unscrupulous criminal gangs" offering bargain deals.

    Businesses approached by suppliers offering cheap alcohol or tobacco are being advised to look out for tell-tale signs such as "poor spelling or  printing" on labels.

    Retailers are also being asked to check that cigarettes and tobacco are marked with "UK Duty Paid".

    Source: BBC News, 22 June 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/iMik82

  • Time surrounding pediatric surgery provides excellent opportunity to help parents quit smoking

    A new study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology found that parents who smoke are more likely to attempt to quit during the time of their child's surgery - but that they are not more likely to succeed. According to the study, these facts suggest that physicians could play an important role in assisting smokers with their quit attempt during this time.

    Study authors David O. Warner, M.D. and Yu Shi, M.D., M.P.H., from Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, set out to determine whether there existed an association between children undergoing surgical procedures and changes in parents' smoking behavior.

    According to Drs. Warner and Shi, approximately one in seven children undergoing surgery in the United States is chronically exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS).

    A clear relationship has been established between SHS exposure and risk of breathing problems during and after anesthesia, and increased frequency of conditions such as middle ear diseases are often seen in children exposed to SHS.

    Source: Medical News Today, 23 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/itjsHz

  • New Yorkers cut back on smoking

    New Health Department data show that fewer New Yorkers are lighting up with a 7% drop in the number of smokers. The report shows how much progress the Bloomberg administration has made toward its health goals for 2012, an effort called Take Care New York.

    A record low 16% of the population smokes, but the city hopes to bring that down even further - to 12% by 2012. Officials also hope to lower teen pregnancies from 83 per 1,000 to 70 per 1,000.

    Health Commissioner Thomas Farley praised the progress his agency has made and promised to push ahead with his policies aimed at improving New Yorkers' health, including handing out free nicotine patches to smokers.

    Source: NY Daily News, 23 June 2011
    Link: http://nydn.us/kFGsMT

  • USA: New graphic cigarette warnings unveiled

    The US government has unveiled a new set of cigarette warnings with graphic images of a lifeless body, a scarred mouth and a blackened lung in order to highlight the health risks of smoking.

    The US Food and Drug Administration said on its website, "Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States".

    The warnings, which can be seen at fda.gov/cigarettewarnings, mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are "a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking," the agency added.

    The warnings will occupy the top 50 percent of the front and rear panels of cigarette packs and the top 20 percent of cigarette advertisements.

    "The introduction of these warnings is expected to have a significant public health impact by decreasing the number of smokers, resulting in lives saved, increased life expectancy, and lower medical costs," the agency said.

    Source: The Independent, 22 June 2011
    Link: http://ind.pn/kkVC1U