We are all aware of the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes. It is a message that has been at the forefront of local and national health services for decades. Countless campaigns and legislative actions have been presented to the public to combat addiction, prevent damage, and raise awareness of the harm that smoking cigarettes can do.

In recent years vaping and e-cigarette usage has revolutionised the tobacco industry, with manufacturers developing devices with adjustable nicotine content and attractive flavours, providing existing people who smoke with a safer alternative to help them quit. However, we are now seeing a tidal wave of younger people becoming addicted to e-cigarettes, many of whom have never smoked.

This report looks at how smoking and vaping affects Bexley residents, how we are responding to these issues and what more can be done in partnership with agencies, communities, and individuals to protect the health of everyone who lives in, works in, and visits Bexley. I invite you all to join my call to action by taking every opportunity to have conversations about quitting smoking and young vaping, signposting our residents to the right support and information, and truly making every contact count.

My thanks to those partners who continue to support our joint efforts to reduce smoking in Bexley.

Image

Dr Nicole Klynman, Director of Public Health, London Borough of Bexley