Almost 10% of women smoked through pregnancy last year
Guernsey saw a spike in the number of women smoking during pregnancy in 2023.
Almost 10% of pregnant women were recorded as smoking when they first booked in to maternity services, up from 7% in 2022.
This dropped to below 8% at the time of delivery, but with an annual birth rate hovering around 500, it equates to almost 40 individuals.
The data came from the publication of the latest Combined Substance Use Strategy annual report, with Public Health claiming it was on track to achieve the aims of the strategy by 2026.
The Combined Substance Use Strategy was approved by Health & Social Care in 2021 – the first time a plan to tackle tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse had been combined into a single strategy.
‘I am very pleased with the publication of the second annual report, which highlights our progress through 2023,’ said Dr Nicola Brink, director of Public Health.
‘We have made progress in a number of key areas including action on vaping, submission to the World Health Organisation’s Framework for Tobacco Control and the continued provision of high-quality services promoting recovery and rehabilitation.’
She said that Public Health has worked in close partnership with the Health Improvement Commission and other partners, and a focus on prevention, treatment and recovery would be key for 2024.
‘Efforts continue to ensure that there are appropriate environments for health and wellbeing for all, and provide high-quality, trauma-informed services that help people to improve and recover their health,’ she said.
The strategy has set the ambitious target to reduce adult smoking to less than 10% by 2028 and the report said that more needed to be done to reach this aim.
The latest statistics, from 2018, show a prevalence of 13%, with more up-to-date figures from the wellbeing survey expected later this year.
About 16% of deaths in the over-35s locally are still smoking-related, and the report said this indicated that smoking remained a significant public health concern.
Dr Brink said in the report that in response to growing concerns around increasing use of vapes among young people, a number of new actions have been implemented.
‘The message is clear that while vapes have become an important harm reduction tool for many adults who smoke, they should not be used by those who do not smoke. Supporting children and young people to stop vaping will continue to be a focus for 2024,’ she said.
The report highlights that harmful alcohol use in Guernsey and Alderney is far more common than that of drugs and tobacco.
Recent Guernsey mortality data shows that alcohol specific deaths were Guernsey’s third leading cause of years of life lost, at 173 per year.
Public Health Services said it will be looking at local alcohol pricing policies, such as increased excise duties and potentially minimum unit pricing.
The full report and annual reports from commissioned services can be found here.
