HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN SMOKING Seminars

This is a piece of work in collaboration with the AAC in looking at how we can improve asthma in Children and Young People. The Core 20 Plus 5 approach in making improvements within health inequalities, and this project aims to reduce Asthma exacerbation requiring hospital visits by tackling direct and indirect childhood smoking.

A summary of a new programme of work being carried out at the University of Oxford investigating ways to encourage more people to quit smoking through existing financial support services, such as social housing providers. Opportunistic brief advice has been found to result in more quit attempts when delivered in clinical settings; however, is it feasible and acceptable when delivered in other settings?

Like other areas of the country, Blackpool has seen a significant increase in the levels of vaping and e-cigarette use in recent years with anecdotal feedback suggesting that vaping prevalence was much higher than the national data, particularly amongst children and young people. In response to this, Healthwatch Blackpool were commissioned by Public Health at Blackpool Council to better understand vaping behaviours within the population, gathering views primarily from young people, alongside teachers & professionals and parent & carers. A survey and subsequent focus groups were conducted, designed to collect information on usage, attitudes, access, safety and availability, whilst providing an in-depth understanding of local experiences. Between November 2022 and March 2023, Healthwatch Blackpool collected feedback from 4,170 local children and young people on the topic of vaping. This presentation highlights the key themes surrounding vaping from local young people living in Blackpool.