Ahead of No Smoking Day on Wednesday 8 March, your local NHS is raising awareness of the links between smoking and brain health and the range of local support available to help you quit.
Chief Medical Officer for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, Dr Derek Sandeman, said: “Most of us know that smoking can cause cancer, lung and heart disease, but not that it also increases your risk of dementia.
“Smoking raises the risk of developing some forms of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, as it harms the vascular system (heart and blood vessels) and the brain. Studies also suggest that quitting smoking reduces this risk substantially, and smoking has been identified as one of twelve risk factors that if eliminated entirely, could collectively prevent or delay up to 40% of dementia cases.
“However, data from Alzheimer's Research UK show only a third of UK adults know there are things they can do to help reduce their risk of some forms of dementia, and that stopping smoking is one of them.”
YouGov data, commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), revealed only 20% of people who smoke know that smoking can increase the risk of some forms of dementia, compared to 80% who know that smoking causes lung diseases or cancers.
If you, or a loved one, would like support you can contact teams in your community, at a local pharmacy, over the phone or by visiting your GP practice:
- Hampshire - Smokefree Hampshire
- Portsmouth - the Wellbeing Team in Portsmouth
- Southampton - participating GP practices and pharmacies in Southampton
- Isle of Wight - Healthy Lifestyles Isle of Wight.