Smoking Cessation Efforts under the UK Government-Led Organizations - Essay Example

Smoking Cessation Efforts under the UK Government-led Organizations Name Institution Course Date Smoking Cessation Efforts under the UK Government-led Organizations Smoking is one of the major health issues in most developed countries all over the world. The UK is one of the countries, where smoking is considered a public health issue. According to the latest statistics from the government, more than 9 million British adults are cigarette smokers, 20% of whom are men while 17% are women (ASH 2016). This number excludes the number of teenagers who smoke, meaning that the total number of Briton who smokes exceeds 9 million people. The ASH (2015) study found that more than two-thirds of the Britons smokers indulge in the habit even before attaining 18 years of age. Of concern is the fact that smoking is the number of cause of preventable deaths in the UK today. To address this problem, the UK government has adopted the strategy of using government led organizations to promote smoking cessation in the country. This paper describes the smoking problem in the UK and how the UK government has used government-led organizations in promoting smoking cessation in the country. Smoking Rate in the UK and its Health Problems Smoking has been declared a public health issue in the United Kingdom. Currently, more than 9 million British adults are smokers. The high smoking prevalence in the UK has seen smoking become the leading cause of death in the country. In 2013, smoking alone caused the death of more than 106, 9871 people in the UK (NHS 2016). This number could be higher considering that there are many cases that pass unreported. Smoking cause many deaths in the UK because of the various health problems that are caused by smoking. Lung cancer which has become one of the leading causes of mortalities in the UK is linked to the high smoking prevalence, which is the main risk factor for the diseases. According to a Twigg, Moon, and Walker (2004) study, smoking is responsible for about 80% of lung cancer-related deaths in the UK with a similar percentage of deaths from bronchitis and emphysema is linked to smoking. Overall, about one-quarter of cancer deaths are attributed to smoking. Besides cancer, heart diseases currently claim the lives of hundreds of Britons every year. However, studies show that most of the heart diseases in the UK are developed by those who smoke. Current estimates indicate that approximately 14% of mortalities from heart illnesses are smoking related (NHS 2016). This accounts for about 25,000 people who die from heart diseases caused by smoking. Moreover, smoking impacts negatively the health of the Britons as it is linked to numerous cases of infertility in men and women. In addition to the deaths and health complications associated with smoking, smoking costs the UK government money that could otherwise be used for development purposes. Estimates indicate that the National Health Services (NHS) spends about £2 billion every year in fighting diseases caused by smoking (NHS 2016). This amount is expected to increase if the government does not address the smoking problem in the country. UK Government Organization-led Smoking Cessation Programmes The UK government understands that smoking is a serious health problem that it must tackle with urgency. As indicated earlier, smoking costs the UK government close to £2 billion ever year in treating illnesses caused by smoking. These are funds that can be used for development purposes if the country is rid of smoking. Therefore, as part of its efforts in addressing the smoking problem in the country, the UK government has been using government-led organizations to promote smoking cessation (NHS 2016). This is because the UK government understands that the best way to address the problem of smoking in the country is to encourage Britons who smoke to stop as well as to discourage those who have not developed the habit to keep away from smoking. The National Health Services (NHS) is one of the government organizations that have been mandated by the UK government to promote smoking cessation in the country. As a result, the NHS has developed a smoking cessation initiative called NHS Stop Smoking Services that promote smoking cessation in the UK (Bauld et al. 2009, p. 1). The program is a national program that provides support for smokers that are struggling to quit the habit. The services provided by the smoking cessation clinics operate under the Maudsley model, which is an approach for treating smokers. Under this approach, NHS trained advisors to organize regular meetings with people struggling with smoking cessation which are provided with structured, withdrawal-oriented behavioral therapy alongside smoking cessation medications that include varenicline, bupropion or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (Bauld et al., 2010, p. 74). So far, the NHS Stop Smoking Services implemented by the NHS has reached over 5 million of the UK citizens who smoke (NHS 2016). Besides, findings have shown that the initiative has been effective in promoting smoking cessation both in the short and long-term. The NHS reveals that, since the program was initiated, it has helped thousands of Britons stop smoking habits notes Bauld et al. (2009, p. 10). It is important to note that the NHS Stop Smoking Services is offered at the free at the point of use to any person who want to quit smoking but finds it difficult doing so because of relapse. Additionally, the free at the point of use smoking cessation program is provided to the UK pregnant women under the NHS Stop Smoking Services, and this has resulted in a significant decline in the number of pregnant women who smoke in the UK (Fahy et al. 2014, p. 21). The NHS also state that other than helping smokers cease the smoking habit, the program also focuses on those at high risk of smoking, where the agency has been educating the public on the dangers associated with smoking and why they need to avoid indulging in smoking (Dobbie 2015, p. 44). It is through such awareness created by the NHS that smoking rate has been declining in the country year after year. Other than the smoking cessation efforts by the NHS, the Public Health England (PHE) is another government agency that has contributed immensely to the fight against smoking in the UK. The PHE is a government agency under the Department of Health founded in 2013 to protect and to promote the country's health and wellbeing, as well as to reduce inequalities in health. One area, where the PHE has contributed immensely is in promoting smoking cessation. Since the agency was founded, the UK government has used the agency is advocating smoking cessation in the country. One such smoking cessation program initiated by the PHE is the Stoptober campaign. This is a mass tobacco quitting challenge for smokers in the UK. According to the Public Health England (2016) report, about 215,000 smokers have already signed to the challenge. The Stoptober program is involved in promoting tobacco quitting campaign in which people who smoke come together are promoted with the support they need to help them quit smoking habit. The Public Health England (2015) report indicates that, in England, smoking had dropped significantly since 1985 when a third of English population were smokers to just about 18% of smokers now. The dramatic drop is partly attributed to the Stoptober quitting campaign that the PHE has been promoting in England and the rest of the UK. The National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) is the other UK government agency that is involved in promoting smoking cessation. The role of the NCSCT is to provide support to ensure effective delivery of smoking cessation programs both at local and national level. The agency supports the NHS and other local authorities to ensure that they deliver effective evidence-based smoking cessation programmes to smokers in the UK (Lumley et al. 2009, p. 14). As part of its effort in promoting tobacco cessation in the country, the NCSCT identifies the competencies that are required to effectively assist smokers to stop the habit. Additionally, The NCSCT promotes smoking cessation by conducting research on the behavioral support that is necessary to ensure the adoption of effective tobacco cessation programme. It is through the efforts of the NCSCT that the smoking cessation programmes, such as the Stop Smoking Services have been created to ensure that smoking problem is dealt with so as to promote health and wellbeing of the UK citizens (NCSCT 2016). Conclusion Smoking is a serious public health problem in the United Kingdom. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the UK. This is attributed to high rates of smoking in the country as high as 9 million adults smoke in the UK. However, as described in the report, the UK government has mandated number government organizations, including the NHS, the Public Health England, and the NCSCT all of which have initiated programmes that promote smoking cessation in the country. Although smoking cessation remains high, it efforts of the government-led organizations should be appreciated as they have helped reduce smoking and related deaths dramatically since 1985 when one-third of the UK population were smokers to the current 18%. References ASH 2015, Smoking cessation services, viewed 1 August 2016 http://www.ash.org.uk/stopping-smoking/for-health-professionals/smoking-cessation-services ASH 2016, Fact Sheets, viewed 1 August 2016 http://ash.org.uk/information/facts-and-stats/fact-sheets Bauld, L., Bell, K., McCullough, L., Richardson, L., & Greaves, L 2009, “The effectiveness of NHS smoking cessation services: a systematic review,” Journal of Public Health, pp. 1-12. Bauld, L., Bell, K., McCullough, L., Richardson, L., & Greaves, L 2010, “The effectiveness of NHS smoking cessation services: a systematic review,” J Public Health vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 71-82. Doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdp074 Dobbie, F., Hiscock, R., Leonardi-Bee, J., Murray, S., Shahab, L., Aveyard, P., Coleman, T., McEwen, A., McRobbie, H., Purves, R., & Bauld, L. 2015. “Evaluating long-term outcomes of NHS Stop Smoking Services (ELONS): a prospective cohort study,” Health Technol Assess, vol. 19, no. 95, pp. 1-156. Doi: 10.3310/hta19950. Fahy, S. J., Cooper, S., Coleman, T., Naughton, F., & Bauld, L 2014, “Provision of smoking cessation support for pregnant women in England: results from an online survey of NHS stop smoking services for pregnant women,” BMC Health Services Research, vol. 14, no. 107. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-107 Lumley, J., Chamberlain, C., Dowswell, T., Oliver, S., Oakley, L., Watson, L. 2009, “Interventions for promoting smoking cessation during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Vol. 3. CD001055. 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