General Health

Patients are happy to get support on how to lose weight during routine dental appointments

As public health experts search for new ways to tackle the obesity crisis, a Loughborough University study has found that patients would welcome support from their dentist on weight management.

Senior councillors write to the prime minister to call for tobacco legislation

A senior group of councillors from across the political spectrum wrote to the prime minister on March 1, 2024, to urge him to publish the ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’ at the earliest opportunity.

Smokers believe vaping is at least as harmful as smoking

More than half of smokers in England wrongly believe that vaping is more harmful or as harmful as smoking, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Seventy-one per cent of adults support the prime minister’s ambition to stamp out smoking

Parliamentarians across both houses urge the government to listen to the public and put the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Parliament without further delay, as polling shows overwhelming support for...

Two million people in England at risk of serious illness through alcohol and smoking finds study

A study has found that one in 20 people in England smoke and drink at levels that pose a risk to health, increasing their chances of serious illness.

Young people urged to get HPV vaccine as school programme stalls 

Health experts are encouraging young people to ensure they get the HPV vaccine, as statistics reveal that approximately one-in-six girls and one-in-five boys in England remain unvaccinated by the time...

A growing appetite for oral health

Michael Sultan discusses the changing awareness of food’s impact on teeth.

Global tobacco use declining, says report

Globally, there are 1.25bn adult tobacco users, according to the latest estimates in the World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco trends report released on January 16, 2024.

The next generation should be chasing their dreams, not a dentist appointment, say politicians

The Labour Party has released details of a new plan to improve young people’s health. The measures include 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments, a supervised toothbrushing programme, vape...

Urgent action needed to protect children and prevent the uptake of e-cigarettes, says the WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a statement calling for urgent action to control e-cigarettes to protect children, as well as non-smokers, and minimise health harms to the population....

Hospital admissions due to smoking up nearly five per cent, NHS data shows

Smoking-related hospital admissions in England increased by nearly five per cent in 2022-23, compared to the previous year, but remain lower than before the covid pandemic.

Decline in smoking in England has stalled since the pandemic, says research

A decades-long decline in smoking prevalence in England has nearly ground to a halt since the start of the pandemic, according to a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.