Manchester’s ‘ex-smokers’ are the worst in the country for LYING about their success at ditching cigs, according to a new report – while every Mancunian forks out £62 every year to pay for their hospital fees.
The city’s smokers ranks among the best in the country for those who’ve declared themselves smoke-free.
Manchester has 3,703 who claim to have successfully been nicotine-free for four weeks out of every 100,000 smokers, while North Yorkshire only has 1,873 and Leeds only has 2,135.
However the city is among the worst for having successfully quit when tested for nicotine in the bloodstream.
Manchester had just 694 quitters per 100,000 smokers – less than one quitter for every hundred smokers when tested clinically.
Meanwhile Birmingham boasts 4,004 quitters testing clean of nicotine, Liverpool had 3,091 and Coventry had 5,116.
Manchester’s statistic contradicts the ‘positive’ figures recorded when no nicotine test is used.
The shocking data comes from a comprehensive nationwide study published this week by the government health watchdog Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) for Public Health England.
The report covers all counties, districts and Primary Care Trusts in England, using mixed data on the number of successful quitters at four weeks.
Data has also revealed the cost to the rest of the population, with every Manchester resident – smoker or not – forking out nearly £62/year to pay for smoking-related hospital admissions.
A spokeswoman from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a campaigning public health charity which works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco, said that ‘even if people are being more economical with the truth, the important thing is not to give up giving up’.
“The fact that there is this disparity between the two figures shows the addictive nature of nicotine. It often takes several attempts to kick the habit,” she said.
“Most people do take several attempts, and the next day is another day. Getting involved with the Stop Smoking service is a great first step and it’s important to concentrate on what motivates you: better health, more money, to not subject your family to passive smoke.”
Explaining the reason behind the difference in numbers, she said: “It is very easy to gloss over our failures, and maybe for those who’ve relapsed just a couple of times, they would still think they’ve managed to achieve their goal.
“Nicotine is such a powerful drug and you’ve got nothing to achieve by pretending that you’re not still addicted.”
The NHS Stop Smoking Service, which boasts success rates four times what a person would achieve trying to quit on their own, measures whether smokers have given up four weeks after setting a ‘quit date’.
Assessed in two ways, the smoker either gives their word that they haven’t taken a single puff in the last fortnight, or the level of carbon dioxide (CO) in the bloodstream is measured, giving scientific proof that they’ve kicked the habit.
But the number of ‘ex-smokers’ who’ve given their word they’re off cigarettes and those who’ve had their blood monitored is radically different, revealing that the city’s smokers are giving up – giving up.
The report, published by Public Health England on Tuesday revealed that Stockport, Manchester, Trafford and Bolton are the four worst unitary authorities in the country for the lowest numbers of successful quitters verified by blood test. Manchester had just 694 quitters per 100,000 smokers – less than one quitter for every hundred smokers.
The city also ranks the highest in terms of smoking attributable mortality – deaths as a direct result of smoking – and follows a close second in smoking-related deaths from stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Manchester also makes it to the bottom of the leaderboard when it comes to the cost per capita of smoking-attributable hospital admissions: the cost of smoking-related admissions to hospital is costing every individual in the city £61.70 each year.
The profiles were released to provide information for local government, health organisations, commissioners and other agencies to monitor the impact of tobacco on local communities, and to monitor the services and initiatives that have been put in place to tackle tobacco related problems.
Image courtesy of Hublera, with thanks.
