Smoking and mental health - NCSCT

Smoking and mental health
Smoke-free legislation has, throughout the UK, proved to be popular, to achieve
high levels of compliance, to improve air quality and reduce passive smoke
exposure, and to have a positive impact on health outcomes. 2–7 The legislation
also stimulated quit attempts, 8 although the longer-term impact on wider
smoking prevalence, if any, appears to have been modest. 9 The legislation also
appears to have changed smoking behaviour, resulting in reductions in passive
exposure in the home, 6 although tackling passive smoke exposure, particularly of
children, in these settings remains a pressing challenge for policy makers. The
Royal College of Physicians has previously called for more effective policies to
promote smoke-free homes, vehicles and a more extensive range of public
places. 6
6.2.2 Mass media campaigns
International evidence suggests that mass media campaigns are an effective
means of increasing smoking cessation and reducing smoking prevalence, 10–15
although evidence specific to the UK is limited to older studies. 16–19 In recent
years the UK government has invested in anti-smoking mass media campaigns
highlighting the health risks of smoking, the hazards of passive smoking, the
addictive nature of smoking and a range of other health topics, promoting
National Health Service (NHS) stop smoking services, and in 2012 the Stoptober
mass quit campaign. Media campaigns have also been used by pharmaceutical
companies to promote use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to quit
smoking, and there is some international evidence that such advertising can have
a positive effect on NRT sales. 13,20,21 Data from the UK data indicate, however,
that pharmaceutical company advertising has less impact on quit attempts than
government-funded campaigns. 22
6.2.3 Health warnings
Evidence from the UK and elsewhere demonstrates that health warnings on
tobacco products raise awareness of the risks of smoking and support quit
attempts. 23,24 Health warnings have been displayed on cigarette packs in the UK
since 1971, but the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive in
2002 has required all tobacco products to display a written health warning
covering at least 30% of the front of the pack, and an additional warning
covering at least 40% of the back of the pack. 25 Graphic pictorial health warnings
are more effective than text warnings, however, and these were introduced in the
UK in 2008. 26,27 The 2002 Tobacco Products Directive sets out other regulations
for labelling cigarette packs and other tobacco products, including the provision
of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields, although the validity of the last
measures, and their effectiveness in communication with consumers, has been
112 © Royal College of Physicians 2013