Smoking Update

An interesting review of the efficacy of smoke-free legislation in England in Tobacco Control looks at the social and behavioural effects of the legislation as regards inequalities. Its authors identify significant variation (by age, gender and ethnicity) in the levels of reduction in tobacco consumption and emphasise the importance of understanding the social context of interventions like this. NICE has issued commissioning guidance on quitting smoking during pregnancy and following childbirth, designed to be read alongside the earlier public health guidance on the subject. Statistics released late last year on levels of smoking at delivery reveal a slight fall in numbers, but regional variations are huge, ranging from 20.2% in the North East to 6.5% in London, reflecting the general trend in smoking in the country.