2023 Plenary Session 3 Seminars

A summary of the impact smoking has on health inequalities and the importance of supporting smoking cessation in the charge to reduce health inequalities.

The presentation will cover how the North East is working collectively to maximise opportunities to increase quitting at scale and to deliver an effective evidence based tobacco control approach which puts people who smoke at the core of its plan.

Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of poor health outcomes and inequalities amongst people experiencing extensive health and social needs (e.g., homelessness, substance dependencies). A long-lived perception exists that individuals living with such needs do not engage in health services and as such, are described as ‘hard to reach’, ‘disengaged’ or ‘unimotivated’. This talk highlights why these descriptors are not grounded in evidence.  It will also highlight how we can maximise existing opportunities to offer cessation support, including how tobacco harm reduction approaches are central to reducing smoking and will help to reduce inequalities.