Blackpool people with mental health problems are more likely to be smokers

Action on Smoking and Health said the higher prevalence of smoking among those with mental health conditions drives inequalities in life expectancy and general health.

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures show that 40.5% of adults with a long-term mental health condition in the NHS Blackpool CCG area said they smoked in 2020-21 – up from 33.4% the year before.

Altogether, 22.6% of adults in Blackpool said they smoke.

It meant an adult with a mental health condition was 79% more likely to smoke than the wider population.

Nationally, 14.4% of adults said they smoke regularly, but this rises to 26.3% among those with a mental health illness.

Dr David Crepaz Keay, the Mental Health Foundation's head of applied learning, said giving up smoking is a major goal for people using mental health services but that support to quit is not accessible enough.

Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of ASH, said the "tragedy" is avoidable and called on the Government to do more to bring down smoking rates among those with mental health conditions.

"With more investment into services and wider policies to reduce smoking, we can bring rates down for people with mental health conditions and everyone else," added Ms Cheeseman.

"The Government pledged to make smoking obsolete back in 2019 – it is past time that we heard how they will do this and address the terrible inequalities caused by smoking for people with mental health conditions."

Stopping smoking is linked to improved mental health, Ms Cheeseman further explained, stating that some conditions such as depression and schizophrenia have been linked to starting smoking.

The figures come after the Government's unveiled its aim to be smoke-free by 2030, meaning fewer than 5% of adults in England will regularly smoke.

Smoking prevalence among people aged over 16 in England has continued to decline throughout the last decade, dropping from 19.6% in 2010 to 14.4% in 2020, separate Office for National Statistics show.

The Department for Health and Social Care said it is "addressing the damaging health implications of smoking right across the country, especially where rates remain high" as it aims to make England smoke-free by 2030.