Volunteer Health Mentor, Fiona Mills
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is backing national No Smoking Day.
Volunteer Health Mentors from the Trust will be providing information about local stop smoking services and heart health on the mezzanine at Blackpool Victoria Hospital tomorrow (Wednesday, March 9), between 11am and 2pm.
Blackpool has the highest rate of smoking in the country and the fifth worst rate of smoking-related deaths
Smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable ill health and premature death. Around 352 people from Blackpool die prematurely each year based on the mid-year population estimates for 2014.
A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Even though more than a quarter of the adult population of Blackpool smokes, this is an improvement on previous years.
“Over the course of four years, between 2010 and 2014, there has been a two-and-a-half per cent reduction in the numbers of smokers in Blackpool. That equates to around 2,900 less people smoking.
“There are still more than 30,000 smokers in the town and as a healthcare provider we can make a big contribution to reducing this number by providing information and support to staff, patients and visitors.”
Smokefreelife Blackpool, a service commissioned by Blackpool Council, will be at Pets at Home on Squires Gate on Wednesday, March 9, from 9am to 5pm.
The service also visits Blackpool Victoria Hospital once a week to give stop smoking support to patients and staff from the Blackpool area.
Jill Penn, a Stop Smoking Outreach Coordinator for Smokefreelife Blackpool, said: “This year we’re focusing on the effects on pets of their owners’ secondary smoke.
Jill Penn, Stop Smoking Outreach Co-ordinator for Smokefreelife Blackpool
“For example, pets can get oral cancer because smoke gets into their coats and they lick themselves when they are grooming.
“Long nosed dogs can get nasal cancer and small pets can be very badly affected. Even fish can be affected.
“We thought we’d do something a bit different this year to encourage people to think about stopping smoking.”
Local businesses including The Sandcastle Water Park and Merlin will be sending some of their mascots to Pets R Us on the day to help get the message across.
For information about local services contact Smokefreelife Blackpool on 0800 246 2567 or call 01253 462463. North Lancs Stop Smoking Service can be contacted on 01524 845145. Visit the Smokefree website at www.nhs.uk/smokefree
For more information about the No Smoking Day campaign, visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk.
For more information on the BHF, visit www.bhf.org.uk
SMOKING FACTS
Smoking affects the whole body from your head to your toes. We all know about lung cancer, but what else can smoking lead to in your body?
Head – Dull, foul smelling hair, hair loss, loss of hearing, glue ear, eye irritation, cataracts, blindness, loss of sense of smell.
Brain – Narrowed arteries supplying the brain with oxygen-rich blood means an increased risk of stroke, resulting in possible paralysis and loss of speech. Reduced supply of oxygen to the brain can also result in headaches, mood changes and panic attacks.
Mouth and Throat – Gum disease and tooth loss, tobacco- stained teeth, foul-smelling breath, diminished sense of taste, plaque and gum disease, sore throat, cancer of lips, tongue, throat, larynx, oesophagus.
Lungs -Bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, coughs and colds, wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma, tar deposits, damaged cilia, pleurisy, cancer. 25-a-day smokers are 25 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers. Four out of five of lung cancer deaths are attributed to smoking.
Heart – Narrowed arteries, thickened blood, aortic aneurysm, angina and heart attack. Smokers are more than twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease as non-smokers
Circulation – Smoking damages the blood vessels in the legs and arms, aiding the atherosclerosis process. This is the narrowing and hardening of arteries which can lead to peripheral vascular disease, gangrene of limbs, cold hands and feet, cold skin, decreased fitness and sometimes even amputation of the limbs. The majority of people with peripheral vascular disease, which can result in one or both legs being amputated, are smokers.
Skin – Slow healing skin wounds, premature ageing and wrinkling, reduced oxygen supply to skin resulting in a grey, parched appearance, cellulite resulting from excess toxins in body, tobacco-stained fingers.
Bones – Female smokers are more likely than non-smokers to suffer from osteoporosis (loss of bony tissue resulting in brittle bones that are liable to fracture) before reaching the menopause.
Stomach – Stomach ulcers, cancers of stomach, kidneys, pancreas and the bladder.
Reproduction system and fertility – Impotence, deformed sperm, reduced sperm count and mobility, testicular cancer, reduced fertility, miscarriage, low birthweight baby, cancer of cervix, cot death. Smoking increases the risk of impotence for men in their 30s and 40s. Smoking also increases the risk of miscarriage, low birthweight and other complications. Low birthweight babies are more likely to require life support.
A Healthier You
The benefits for your body when you quit, start straight away
…20 minutes
Your heart rate and blood pressure return to normal
8-24 hours
Nicotine and carbon monoxide start to leave your body and oxygen levels return to normal
24 hours
Your lungs start to clear mucus and other smoking debris
48-72 hours
Your sense of smell and taste both improve
2-12 weeks
Exercise becomes easier and your breathing improves
3-9 months
Any coughs, wheezing and breathing problems are reduced as your lungs repair
1 year
Your risk of coronary heart disease is now half that of a smoker
A Wealthier You
The financial benefits of quitting soon add up.
After…
…1 day – £8.50
Two movie rentals/a new lipstick/ download a new album
1 week – £59.50
A family cinema trip/Premiership football tickets/a weekend break
1 month – £255
A shopping spree/Premiership football tickets/a weekend break
3 months – £765
A designer handbag/a new laptop/ the latest flat screen TV
6 months – £1,530
A leather suite/ a home cinema/ a top of the range bicycle
1 year – £3,102.50
A new kitchen/designer jewellery/holiday of a lifetime