Pubs in poorest areas of England most likely to be exempt from smoking ban (press release)

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Pubs in the poorest areas of England are more likely to be exempt from the smoking ban than those in affluent areas, concludes a study published online by the BMJ today.

The authors claim this will worsen health inequalities, and they call on the UK government to impose a complete ban on smoking in all enclosed public places in England.

Passive smoking is a significant risk to health. Smoking in public places is banned completely in many countries, but the current proposals for England will allow some licensed establishments (pubs not serving catered food and private members' clubs) to be exempt from a smoking ban.

Using local authority records, the research team determined the catering status of pubs and licensed members' establishments in the Borough of Telford and Wrekin. They then mapped these by postcode to calculate a deprivation score.

There were 174 pubs in the Borough. A total of 99 (57%) served catered food, so 75 (43%) would be exempt from the ban. When all licensed members' clubs were included, 127 (56%) would be exempt.

Based on these figures, the authors estimated that two-thirds of English pubs in deprived areas would be exempt, while only a quarter would be exempt in affluent areas. When members' clubs were included, two-fifths of establishments in affluent areas and four-fifths of establishments in deprived areas would be exempt.

"Although this is a small study, our results suggest that people in deprived areas are more likely to live near pubs exempt from legislation to protect them against smoking. This is likely to worsen inequalities in health and smoking prevalence," say the authors.

"The UK government's white paper Choosing Health estimates 'only 10-30% of pubs could be smoking' but our data suggest the proportion of exempt pubs is higher. We urge the UK government to ban smoking in all enclosed public places, similar to the ban proposed in Scotland and enacted in Ireland, to prevent worsening health."
About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient LED lighting products that save electricity and help prevent global warming. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org


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