Has WFH jeopardized the UK’s ambition to quit smoking? The decade-long decline in the number of cigarettes smokers puff daily has stalled in the wake of the pandemic, research shows

Working from home during the pandemic could be to blame for Britain’s ‘declining’ number of smokers, researchers say.

The decade-long decline in the number of cigarettes smokers puff every day has come to a halt, figures show.

Researchers in London, who assessed the smoking habits of almost 58,000 Britons, found that smokers drank an average of eleven cigarettes a day in 2019.

For comparison: at the beginning of 2008 this figure was 14. But the number has not changed since then.

Scientists today claimed Covid was an ‘influencing’ factor, while WFH setups were ‘more tolerant’ of regular smoke breaks.

Cancer Research UK, which funded the research, warned that statistics show ‘the war on tobacco is far from over’.

Across England, 45.5 million cigarettes are now smoked every day, up from 77.1 million in 2011.

Experts have long said that the introduction of modern anti-smoking laws, such as the sale of cigarettes in plain packaging, is behind the huge decline.

Other tough measures taken over the past two decades include the installation of graphic warning labels depicting the harmful health effects of all types of tobacco and the banning of smoking in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs.

Dr. Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘This study makes it clear that the UK government must not give up its fight to reduce smoking.

‘All tobacco products are harmful, and more work needs to be done to permanently eliminate cancer caused by smoking.

‘By voting in favor of the age-of-sale legislation, MPs have positioned Britain as the world leader in tobacco control.

“Now it is crucial that MPs continue to listen to the demands of their constituents and place themselves on the right side of history.”

Rishi Sunak’s bold plan to effectively ban today’s children from ever smoking moved a step closer to reality last month when it overcame the first hurdle when MPs voted in favor.

The 57,778 smokers involved in the study were questioned about their habits, including cigarette smoking and the type of tobacco smoked.

Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that over the same period, average consumption of manufactured cigarettes fell from 9 per day to 5.

But the number of hand-rolled cigarettes smoked rose to six per day, up from four reported in 2008.

Forty-four volunteers also claimed to smoke more than 80 cigarettes every day (0.08 percent).

Writing in the diary Nicotine and tobacco researchAccording to researchers, consumption was ‘consistently higher’ among older people, men and people from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

Covid “may have been an influencing factor” in the decline in cigarette consumption, they added, with work-from-home arrangements “generally more tolerant of more regular smoking breaks”.

Before the pandemic, only one in eight of us were remote workers, and in many cases this was only some of the time.

In what has been the biggest shift in employment in decades, today just under a third of the UK workforce – around 9.5 million – has swapped full-time office work for flexible working that allows them to log in from their living room. rooms, kitchens and sometimes home studies.

The shift in the types of cigarettes smoked is “likely” also due to affordability, driven by larger tax increases on manufactured cigarettes, they said.

Dr. Sarah Jackson, author of the study and principal investigator at the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, added: ‘This 15-year study highlights shifts in smoking behaviour, showing that although the average number of cigarettes smoked per day has fallen, this trend has stalled since 2019.

‘People are increasingly choosing to use cheaper hand-rolled tobacco over more expensive manufactured cigarettes, proving that consistency in taxation and regulation for all types of cigarettes is critical.

‘Some groups in England still smoke more heavily than others.

‘It is vital that smoking cessation services are made easily and equally available across the UK, so that those who want to quit smoking have all the support they need to do so.’

Under Rishi Sunak’s bold bill, which MPs voted in favor by 383 to 67, anyone born after 2009 will never be able to legally buy tobacco again.

If ultimately passed, it would mean that children 15 or younger today would never be legally sold a cigarette again.

The government predicts the move will save tens of thousands of lives and prevent up to 115,000 cases of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and other lung diseases.

The approach was initially recommended in a government-commissioned report published in 2022 by ex-children’s charity chief Javed Khan..

Smoking kills around 78,000 people in Britain every year, and many more suffer from diseases as a result of their habit – half of which are due to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.

It is estimated that around 500,000 hospital admissions in England each year are due to smoking and that smoking costs the economy £17 billion per year.

The 7,000 chemicals in tobacco – including tar and others that can narrow arteries and damage blood vessels – are thought to be responsible for some of the damage smoking does to the heart.

Meanwhile, nicotine – a highly addictive toxin found in tobacco – is strongly linked to dangerous increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Smoking also releases toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, which replaces oxygen in the blood, reducing the availability of oxygen to the heart.

Commenting on the research, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘Smoking remains the biggest cause of ill health, disability and death.

‘In Britain it is responsible for 80,000 deaths a year and 1 in 4 cancer deaths.

‘That’s why we’re introducing the world’s leading legislation to create the first smoke-free generation, protect lives and ease pressure on the NHS.’

They added: ‘In addition, we have also announced an additional £70 million per year, more than doubling the funding for smoking cessation services over the next five years to support people to quit smoking.

‘This includes access to a range of local services, including personal support and smoking cessation resources.’