East Sussex adults with mental health condition more than twice as likely to smoke

By Andrew Dowdeswell, Data Reporter
Published 25th May 2022, 11:20 BST
A woman smoking in central London.A woman smoking in central London.
A woman smoking in central London.
Adults living in east Sussex with long-term mental health conditions are more than twice as likely to smoke as the wider population, new figures show.

Adults living in east Sussex with long-term mental health conditions are more than twice as likely to smoke as the wider population, new figures show.

Action on Smoking and Health said the higher prevalence of smoking among those with mental health conditions drives inequalities in life expectancy and general health.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures show that 27.8% of adults with a long-term mental health condition in the NHS East Sussex CCG area said they smoked in 2020-21 – ​though this was down from 29.7%​ the year before.

Altogether, 13.5% of adults in east Sussex said they smoke.

It meant an adult with a mental health condition was 105% more likely to smoke than the wider population.

Nationally, 14.4% of adults said they smoke regularly, but this rises to 26.3% among those with a mental health illness.

Dr David Crepaz Keay, the Mental Health Foundation's head of applied learning, said giving up smoking is a major goal for people using mental health services but that support to quit is not accessible enough.

Hide Ad