Smoking
What this means and what we are doing about it
Smoking remains a significant public health problem and the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death. Smoking is a key driver of health inequalities and causes significant cost to health, social care, and wider society. National and international policy support further reduction in smoking, for example, the United Kingdom's ambition to achieve a smoke free generation.
The most recent estimate of overall smoking attributable mortality (the proportion of deaths in the population that are directly caused by smoking) in Stockton-on-Tees was 249 deaths per 100,000 people. This is greater than the England average of 202, but lower than the north east of England average of 271. Smoking is estimated to be responsible for around 1 in 8 CVD (cardiovascular disease) deaths, and at least 15 different types of cancer.
