00:00On paper, Northumberland looks like a success story when it comes to smoking.
00:05Council estimates put the county's smoking rate at just 8%, far lower than it once was.
00:12But health leaders say those figures only tell part of the story.
00:16According to Northumberland Council statistics, 8% still represents around 22,000 residents who smoke.
00:23And it's estimated that 19,000 children are living in households where one or more adults smoke.
00:31Speaking at a meeting at Northumberland's Health and Wellbeing Board,
00:35Senior Public Health Manager Kerry Lynch said it was vital not to lose sight of the people behind the numbers.
00:41She told councillors that smoking is often linked to complex health, social and financial pressures.
00:47And that many residents began smoking as children and are now living with what she described as a lethal addiction.
00:55The council says smoking remains the single biggest preventable cause of death and illness in Northumberland,
01:01as well as across the North East and England.
01:05It's also identified as the leading driver of local health inequalities,
01:09with the greatest harm falling on poorer and more vulnerable communities.
01:13Council data shows smokers in Northumberland are more likely to be younger adults,
01:18particularly those aged 25 and 34,
01:22and more likely to be unemployed or without formal qualifications.
Comments