POOR Scots are still three times more likely to smoke than their more affluent counterparts despite a slew of anti-tobacco strategies, experts have said.
However, the number of children exposed to second-hand smoke in Scottish homes has been cut from in half to six per cent since new measures were introduced five years ago.
A report, conducted by the University of Edinburgh and NHS Health Scotland, said the government’s tobacco control strategy had shown a “positive impact”.
Since 2013, the Scottish Government have launched a range of actions aiming to create a “smoke-free generation” by 2034.
A number of restrictions on tobacco advertising and sales have been introduced as well as a ban on smoking on hospital grounds.
More recently there have been further restrictions related to the sales of Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs), such as E-cigarettes, and at the end of last year a ban on smoking in cars with children was also introduced.
Reviewing the strategy, the authors of the report highlighted that tobacco products in supermarkets and shops had been moved out of sight. The number of children exposed to second-hand smoke in home was cut by 50,000 children.
The review also said there had been a reduction in cigarette brand awareness in young people, which was attributed to products being moved from view.
Dr Garth Reid, principle public health adviser at NHS Health Scotland, told the BBC: “The evidence shows the positive impact of tobacco policy, ranging from the display ban which put tobacco out of sight in small shops and supermarkets to the introduction on smoke free NHS grounds.
“Yet, levels of smoking are still highest in Scotland’s most deprived areas, with 35 per cent of people living in the most deprived areas smoking compared to 10 per cent in the most affluent areas.
“It is clear that further action to reduce inequalities in smoking is necessary if the aim of making Scotland tobacco-free by 2034 is to be achieved.”
The first smoking-related ban in Scotland was introduced 11 years ago and prohibited smoking in enclosed public spaces.
When the strategy was published in 2013, the number of adults smoking in Scotland was already falling, but NHS Health Scotland said it was still the single most preventable cause of ill health and premature death in the country.
Senior research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, Dr John McAteer, said: “Scotland has some of the most progressive tobacco control policies in the world, and Scottish smoking rates have fallen from three per cent in 2003 to 21 per cent in 2015.”
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