Director of Public Health Annual Report 2024. Building a smoke-free future for all
Directors of Public Health have a statutory requirement to write an annual independent report on the health of their population. The report is to raise awareness and understanding of local health issues, highlighting areas of specific concern and make recommendations for change.
The focus of this year's Director of Public Health Annual Report is smoking and tobacco control. Despite our best efforts over many years, tobacco smoking is still the leading cause of preventable deaths in Derbyshire. The report sets out a Derbyshire-wide call to action to help make smoking a thing of the past in our county and to free our communities of the harms it causes.
What’s in the report?
The report is split into 5 key sections to help tell our story about why building a smoke-free future for all in Derbyshire is so important.
Section 1 – Smoking, a history
This explains why smoking is a key public health priority in Derbyshire as public health and our partners strive towards a smoke-free generation by 2030. This section explains why tobacco smoking remains the single largest cause of preventable deaths in the county and one of the largest contributors to health inequalities in Derbyshire.
Section 2 – smoking, the risk to you and others
This looks in more detail at the risk and impact of smoking in Derbyshire. While the number of people who smoke is reducing, there are still 1 in 7 adults who smoke in Derbyshire, which is higher than the England average.
Smoking in pregnancy rates are also concerning in Derbyshire with 10.9% of women smoking at the time of giving birth. There are many health risks linked to smoking including cancer and dementia.
The costs of smoking are substantial and estimated in Derbyshire to be around £749 million each year, including costs of health care, fires, social care and lost productivity.
Also in this section are case studies based on real life stories from people in Derbyshire who have already stopped smoking.
Section 3 – smoking, taking action together
This describes the support available to help you to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health.
This section also highlights the important message about vaping: ‘if you smoke, vaping is less harmful; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape’.
Section 3 also looks at tobacco control. Tobacco control includes protecting people from the harm of tobacco such as tackling illegal sales and promoting smoke-free environments to help take up in the first place.
Section 4 - building a smoke-free future
This discusses taking action together to build a smoke-free future and includes our call to action:
3 key steps to help become smoke-free in Derbyshire:
- Work together to inspire change and build a smoke-free future
- Do all we can to ‘Stop the Start’
- Support every smoker to quit and stay smoke-free
Section 5 - the progress made
This has an update on the progress made since the last annual report which considered mental health and wellbeing.
Top 10 key messages
The 10 key messages are:
- We are striving towards a smoke-free generation by 2030 (less than 5% smoking prevalence).
- Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in Derbyshire.
- We celebrate the success of people who have stopped smoking – quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health. No matter how many times you have tried to quit smoking, it is always worth another go.
- Using a local stop smoking service can make you 3 times more likely to quit than using willpower alone.
- One in 7 adults still smoke in Derbyshire.
- Smoking causes over 1,000 deaths each year and costs Derbyshire £749 million.
- Over 700 people still smoke at the time of giving birth.
- Around 30% of sudden infant deaths could be avoided by stopping smoking during pregnancy.
- Children and young people are more likely to start smoking if parents, carers or siblings smoke.
- Vaping: if you smoke, vaping is less harmful; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.
Support to help you quit smoking
Contact the Live Life Better Derbyshire team: