Impact of Smoking on Public Health in the United Kingdom

Running head: RESEARCH REPORT
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
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1RESEARCH REPORT
Introduction:
Smoking and tobacco use have been studied to elicit negative effect on the normal
physiological functioning of the human body. According to the report published by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), it has been stated that smoking causes an
approximate death rate of almost 480,000 every year across the United States of America (West
and Shiffman 2016). In this regard, it should further be stated that smoking has been attributed to
be the root cause of a number of diseases that include respiratory disorders, Diabetes and even
cancer. Intake of Nicotine harms the normal functioning of a majority of organs in the human
body and reduces the longevity of life. As stated by Statistics on Smoking (2018), smoking
causes 90% of deaths related to lung cancer and 80% of deaths are caused as a result of chronic
obstructive pulmonary diseases (statistics on smoking 2018). Considering the present scenario,
research studies reveal that risk of dying on account of smoking has increased over the last 50
years to a significant extent (statistics on smoking 2018). The literary evidences and statistical
figures collected from the research studies clearly indicate that smoking has emerged out to be a
global problem that requires immediate attention for the maintenance of public health and
wellbeing. This paper intends to discuss the impact of smoking on public health in context to
United Kingdom. The paper would critically analyze the public health issue using different
resources retrieved from research studies and social media and present an elaborate discussion
about the impact of the issue on the general health and behavior of the people based at the United
Kingdom.

2RESEARCH REPORT
Discussion:
According to Rooke and Amos (2014), it has been estimated that on an average
approximately 484,700 hospital admissions take place on account of disorders related to smoking
(Mons et al. 2013). Also, it has been mentioned that 77,900 deaths every year, in the United
Kingdom are attributable to smoking (statistics on smoking 2018). In addition to this, it should
be critically noted that at present, 14.9% of the complete population base of United Kingdom has
been identified as smokers (statistics on smoking 2018). Also, 10.8% of the pregnant women at
the time of their delivery have been reported to be smokers (statistics on smoking 2018).
Cigarette smoking has remained an area of primary concern with regard to public health and
wellbeing for the British Government. In order to address the issue, a number of health policies
have been formulated with the intention of fostering a population that is physically fit and
healthy. Studies indicate the success rate of the policies and anti-smoking campaigns that has led
to a steady decline in the number of smokers. It should be noted here that, smoking is legal in
United Kingdom with some amount of restrictions which ideally holds true for England, Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland (Levy et al. 2013). The UK government has continuously
attempted to reduce the prevalence rate of smoking through public education and awareness
campaigns about the negative impact of smoking. It should be noted here that the NHS at present
offers free of cost aid to smokers who wish to quit smoking and lead a healthy life. As published
by the British Medical Journal it has been stated that Britain’s drive to encourage smokers to quit
smoking has resulted in Britain becoming the world’s first nation to have a significant reduction
in the number of deaths caused because of lung cancer (Lancaster and Stead 2017). It is
interesting to note here that, during 1950s, Britain had the highest number of deaths caused by
lung cancer (statistics on smoking 2018). However, by the end of the year 2000, the death rate