Pregnancy smoking rates as high as 25% - report

Smoking has a "disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations" in the Bradford district, according to a charity

Up to 25% of women in certain areas of Bradford smoke while pregnant, a new report suggests.

The document, provided by the Action on Smoking and Health charity, said smoking had a "disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations" in the district.

The report, presented to a Bradford Council meeting on Wednesday, said rates of smoking during pregnancy were as high as 25% in Keighley West and 22.7% in Tong.

It increased the risk of "stillbirth, premature birth, miscarriages, birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome", the charity warned.

The average rate across the district for smoking while pregnant was 8.9%, it said, which is above the national average of 7.5%.

The report, commissioned last year to help reduce smoking and vaping in the district, also found:

• Smoking costs Bradford £455m a year - including £285m worth of lost productivity, £143m in social care costs and £22.3m in health costs

• Smoking was the leading cause of preventable diseases, disabilities, and premature deaths

• In the City ward, 35% of people over the age of 15 smoke - with the percentage down to 6.9% in the Wharfedale ward

• Other areas with high rates of smoking include Tong at 25.9%, Keighley Central's 23.7% and Eccleshill's 22.3%

• Despite a downward trend in smoking rates in Bradford, the district continues to have higher smoking prevalence and smoking-related deaths than in other parts of England

"Smoking is responsible for a considerable reduction in life expectancy, with smokers losing an average of ten years compared to non-smokers," a Bradford Council document stated.

• Stop smoking in pregnancy - NHS

Members of the council's Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee were given an update on the work being done to reduce smoking rates in the district, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Referring to the report, Caroline Cerny, from the charity, said: "Smoking rates in Bradford have kept pace with national declines helping to save many lives over the last decade.

"However, Bradford still has more smokers than many parts of the country due to historically high rates linked to levels of disadvantage in the area."

She added: "Given that smoking will kill two-thirds of long-term smokers and places a major burden on local services and the economy it is vital that the comprehensive and sustained approach taken to reduce smoking in Bradford is maintained."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North