Action is needed in Scotland to reduce the impact of tobacco, alcohol and other harmful products to our health
Gareth Brown, our Policy and Public Affairs Officer in Scotland, explains why Asthma UK Scotland and a coalition of charities are calling on the Scottish Government to reduce the level of chronic diseases or NCDs (non-communicable diseases).
What are non-communicable diseases and what are the risks?
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) include lung disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, liver disease and heart disease. Chronic respiratory disease has been identified by the World Health Organisation as one of the four leading NCDs worldwide, along with cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
Some statistics for Scotland alone:
In 2020, NCDs were responsible for 62% of all deaths in Scotland.
1 in 5 deaths from NCDs could be prevented through public health initiatives in the country.
Ill-health and disability caused by tobacco, alcohol and obesity is estimated to cause the Scottish economy between £5.6 and £9.3 billion each year.
What action is Asthma UK taking?
Asthma UK Scotland together with British Lung Foundation Scotland joined with British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, ASH Scotland and five other charities to launch the NCD Prevention Report recently, which you can read here.
On 6 September, we presented this to a cross-party panel of MSPs and guests from across different sectors. The focus of the charity coalition was the danger of harmful products such as tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drinks, to our health.
Our report paints a picture of how some people have drunk, smoked, and eaten more to cope with the pandemic. We therefore make the recommendation that the availability of services like weight management or alcohol treatment is a necessity as we come out of this pandemic.
The Scottish Government plans to take action on tobacco
As Scotland’s leading lung health charity, it is action on tobacco that concentrates our minds, as tackling the rates of tobacco use can dramatically improve our nation’s lung health. Of the six recommendations for the Scottish Government to act on over the course of 2021/22, two focussed on smoking cessation and e-cigarette advertising.
We know through a question posed in parliament by our Smoking Cessation Champion Alexander Stewart MSP, that the Scottish Government still intends to carry out a public consultation on the advertising and promotion of Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs) this autumn. This was an ambition set out in the Respiratory Care Action Plan published in March of this year and we await further details.
Action on smoking rates is still needed
Asthma UK Scotland has long campaigned for action on smoking rates and we will continue to do so. As it stands the Scottish Government’s 2034 tobacco-free generation target is set to be missed – by a further 16 years. Therefore, we need to see a refresh to the tobacco-free strategy launched in 2018.
At Asthma UK we welcome the First Minister’s commitment in the Programme for Government to ‘develop a renewed action plan’. Any refreshed or renewed plan needs to be bold, achievable and well-funded.
The charities behind the NCD report will continue to work together to improve Scotland’s health and wellbeing.
Asthma UK Scotland would like to thank British Heart Foundation Scotland for leading on this work, and to the four party health spokespeople, Emma Harper MSP, Sandesh Gulhane MSP, Carol Mochan MSP and Gillian Mackay MSP for joining the event launch and speaking so candidly about the action required to improve Scotland health.
We’re committed to providing free up-to-date expert asthma information
During 2020 our health advice was viewed 13,891,860 times
Your support helps us to give people with asthma the knowledge they need to live well and protect themselves from asthma attacks.
If you find our health advice useful, please consider making a small donation today.