Has WFH jeapordised UK’s stop-smoking ambition? Decade-long decline in number of cigarettes smokers puff each day has stalled in wake of pandemic, study finds

Working from home during the pandemic may be to blame for Britain’s ‘stalling’ smoking rate, researchers say. 

The decade-long decline in the number of cigarettes puffed each day by smokers has ground to a halt, figures show. 

Researchers in London, who assessed the smoking habits of almost 58,000 Brits, found smokers had 11 cigarettes per day on average in 2019. 

For comparison, the figure stood at 14 at the start of 2008. But the number hasn’t shifted since. 

Scientists today claimed Covid was an ‘influencing’ factor, with WFH set-ups ‘more permissive’ of regular smoking breaks. 

Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, warned the statistics show ‘the fight against tobacco is far from over’. 

Across England, 45.5million cigarettes are now smoked every day, down from 77.1million in 2011.  

Experts have long said the introduction of modern anti-smoking laws, such as selling cigarettes in plain packaging, are behind the huge fall.

Other tough measures deployed in the past two decades include slapping graphic warning labels depicting their damaging health effects on all tobacco and banning smoking in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs. 

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy, said: ‘This study makes it clear the UK Government must not let up in its fight to reduce smoking. 

‘All tobacco products are harmful, and more work needs to be done to end cancers caused by smoking for good.

‘By voting in favour of the age of sale legislation, MPs have positioned the UK as a world leader in tobacco control. 

‘Now, it’s vital that MPs continue to listen to the demands of their constituents and place themselves on the right side of history.’ 

Rishi Sunak’s bold plan to effectively ban today’s children from ever smoking, last month moved one step closer to reality when it cleared its first hurdle as MPs voted to back it.  

The 57,778 smokers involved in the study were quizzed on their habits — including cigarette consumption and the type of tobacco smoked. 

University College London (UCL) researchers found over the same time period, the average consumption of manufactured cigarettes fell from 9 per day to 5.

But hand-rolled cigarettes smoked rose to six per day, up from the four reported in 2008. 

Forty-four volunteers also claimed to smoke more than 80 cigarettes every day (0.08 per cent). 

Writing in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, researchers said consumption was ‘consistently higher’ among older people, men and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Covid ‘may have been an influencing factor’ in the stall in cigarette consumption, they added, with working from home arrangements ‘generally more permissive of more regular smoking breaks’.

Prior to the pandemic, only one in eight of us were home-workers, and in many cases this was only some of the time.

In what has been the biggest gear shift in employment for decades, today just under a third of Britain’s working population – around 9.5million – have swapped being in the office full-time for flexi-work that allows them to log-on from their living rooms, kitchens and home studies some of the time. 

The shift in the type of cigarettes smoked is also ‘likely’ down to affordability, driven by greater tax increases on manufactured cigarettes, they said. 

Dr Sarah Jackson, study author and principal research fellow in the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, added: ‘This 15-year study captures shifts in smoking behaviour, showing that while the average number of cigarettes smoked per day has fallen, this trend has stalled since 2019.

‘People are increasingly opting to use cheaper hand-rolled tobacco over more expensive manufactured cigarettes, proving that consistency in the taxation and regulation across all cigarette types is key.

‘Some groups across England still smoke more heavily than others.

‘It’s vital that smoking cessation services are made easily and equally available across the UK, so that those who want to quit smoking are given all the support they need to do so.’

Under Rishi Sunak’s bold bill, which MPs voted to back by 383 to 67, anyone born after 2009 won’t ever be able to legally buy tobacco. 

If eventually passed, it means children aged 15 or younger today will never legally be sold a cigarette.

The Government predicts the move will save tens of thousands of lives, and avoiding avoid up to 115,000 cases of strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other lung diseases. 

The approach was initially recommended in a Government-commissioned report published in 2022 by ex-children’s charity chief Javed Khan. 

Smoking kills around 78,000 people in the UK every year, with many more living with illnesses due to their habit — half of which are due to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke. 

It is estimated that around 500,000 hospital admissions every year in England are attributable to smoking and that smoking costs the economy £17billion per year.

The 7,000 chemicals in tobacco — including tar and others that can narrow arteries and damage blood vessels — are thought to be behind some of the damage smoking inflicts on the heart.

Meanwhile, nicotine — a highly addictive toxin found in tobacco — is heavily linked with dangerous increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Smoking also unleashes poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, which replaces oxygen in the blood — reducing the availability of oxygen for the heart.

Responding to the study today, a spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care said: ‘Smoking remains the single biggest cause of ill-health, disability and death. 

‘In the UK, it is responsible for 80,000 deaths per year and 1 in 4 cancer deaths. 

‘That’s why we are introducing world-leading legislation to create the first smoke-free generation, protecting lives and easing the strain on the NHS.’

They added: ‘Alongside this, we’ve also announced an additional £70 million per year, more than doubling funding in smoking cessation services for the next five years to support people to quit smoking. 

‘This includes access to a range of local services including face-to-face support and stop smoking tools.’