Briefings
Smoking and pregnancy
Welcome to our briefing on smoking and pregnancy. Here you will find information about the heath risks of smoking during pregnancy, facts and statistics about smoking and pregnancy in Scotland, and cessation options available to pregnant women. Health risks associated with smoking during pregnancy Smoking increases the risks of a number of pregnancy-related illnesses and…
Vaping and e-cigarettes
Welcome to our briefing on vaping and e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid into a vapour, which is then inhaled by the user. Liquids often contain nicotine and other chemicals, including flavourings mixed with a carrier liquid of propylene glycol or glycerine. There is a wide range of devices, rechargeable and refillable…
Smoking and LGBTQ+ communities
Welcome to our briefing on smoking and LGBTQ+ communities. The tobacco industry has a history of predatory marketing of tobacco products targeting marginalised communities, including LGBTQ+ people, which perpetuates economic and/or health inequities. Evidence shows higher rates of smoking and tobacco product use by LGBTQ+ people compared to the general population. The total size of…
Cost of smoking
Welcome to our briefing on the cost of smoking. Find out how much it costs to smoke below. How much do people smoke? In Scotland, people who smoke use an average of 11.4 cigarettes a day. This figure has steadily declined over the years. The average in 2003 was 15.3 cigarettes a day. People from…
Smoking and mental health
Welcome to our briefing on smoking and mental health. A health inequalities gap that needs to be urgently addressed People with mental health and substance misuse issues smoke more cigarettes per day, are more addicted to nicotine and, although they are just as likely to want to give up smoking as others who smoke, they…
Smoking and health inequalities in Scotland
Welcome to our briefing on smoking and health inequalities in Scotland. To understand some of the terms we use to describe inequalities, please read this section on how deprivation is described and measured in Scotland. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is a relative measure of deprivation across 6,976 small areas. If an area…
Young adult tobacco use
Three-quarters of people who smoke start before the age of 18. The largest factors influencing smoking uptake are peer-group smoking, growing up in areas of high deprivation, parents/carers or siblings smoking, low educational attainment, and poor mental health. Smoking prevalence among young adults in Scotland aged 16-24 increased from 14% in 2019 to 17% in…
Nicotine pouches
Welcome to our briefing on nicotine pouches and snus. Keep reading to find out the difference between nicotine pouches and snus, learn about health harms posed and find figures on the prevalence in the UK. We also spotlight the use of nicotine pouches in sport, and how nicotine pouches are regulated in the UK. Nicotine…
Smoking in Scotland
19% of men and 16% of women in Scotland smoke. Smoking rates Smoking rates have dropped significantly from 52% in 1974 to 28% in 2003 and 17% in 2019. 1.6% of 13-year-olds and 4.3% of 15-year-olds in Scotland are regular smokers. 11% of pregnant women in Scotland smoke at the time of their first antenatal…