Skip to main content

Updated "Smoking in Wales" online tool reveals both good news and continuing concerns around smoking

New data shows that smoking-related deaths and hospital admissions in Wales are remaining stubbornly unchanged. 

However, there are some signs that these rates are actually increasing for women living in our most deprived areas.

These are findings presented in the latest update to Smoking in Wales an interactive data visualisation tool which provides an overview of smoking and its impact throughout Wales. 

Via the tool, smoking behaviours, outcomes and cessation data can be explored in further depth by health board, local authority, deprivation and age group. In addition, an evidence map provides access to high-level evidence sources on the topics of smoking prevention, cessation and de-normalisation.

Some of the key findings from the new tool include:

•    According to the National Survey for Wales, the smoking prevalence for adults living in Wales is 18.4 per cent. 
•    Only 3.6 per cent of children in Wales, aged 11-16, self-reported smoking.
•    While smoking in Wales is steadily decreasing, the smoking rates in the most deprived fifth remains more than double the rate of the least deprived fifth.
•    Smoking-attributable mortality is around 3.5 times higher in the most deprived fifth than the least deprived fifth for females, and around 2.5 times higher for males. This inequality gap appears to have widened over the past 10 years.

There is a consistently higher smoking-attributable admissions rate in males than females. Rates in males appear to have stopped falling. However, rates in females are rising, particularly for those living in the most deprived fifth.

Ashley Gould, Consultant in Public Health and National Lead for Tobacco Control, said:

“The newly updated tool is a great resource, bringing together data on smoking prevalence, and the outcomes of smoking – in terms of deaths, hospital admissions and key diseases including cancers, and circulatory and respiratory diseases. It also includes regularly updated links to a range of high-level evidence around prevention, cessation and de-normalisation of tobacco use.”

Smoking accounts for around one in six of all deaths in adults aged 35 and over. A high percentage of these are related to cancers and respiratory diseases.

The new Smoking in Wales profile uses a new software package to present the data in a visually appealing, easily understood and customisable manner.

The profile has been created to support the development of plans to deliver on the objectives set out in the Public Health Wales Integrated Medium Term Plan. 

If you or someone you know would like more information about how to stop smoking, please see the following infographic.

To view the new interactive tool please click here: