Smoking Rates rise 25% in 10 Years in UK Women

Smoking rates among women aged 18 – 45 in the UK have both risen and fallen depending on their socioeconomic status. 

A study funded by Cancer Research UK has found that the amount of younger middle-class women who smoked has jumped from 12% to 15% from 2013 to 2023.

On the other hand, there was a drop in smoking rates in women of a less advantaged socioeconomic background, with the proportion of 18-45 year old smokers dropping from 29% to 22%.

Researchers from UCL analysed data from nearly 200,000 adults involved in the Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly survey of adults in England. Of these, more than 44,000 were women between the ages of 18 and 45.

There was also a large increase in the amount of smokers using hand rolled cigarettes in the last decade. 42% of smokers used rollups in 2013; this had increased to 54% by 2023. The change was particularly evident in female smokers aged 18-45, 41% of whom smoked hand rolled cigarettes in 2013, which had risen 61% a decade later.

Why are young women smoking more?

Dr. Sarah Jackson, the principal investigator of the study, commented, “We don’t know why younger affluent women are smoking more. Future studies could explore whether social media may be increasing uptake in this cohort, or whether they are less able to use strategies or support to avoid long-term relapse … We need to do a lot more research to find out.” 

The report suggested that financial strains might have impacted women more severely, with a higher incidence of job losses during the pandemic and an increased load of domestic and childcare responsibilities. 

The authors of the study concluded that these factors likely played a role in reducing smoking rates among women from less advantaged social backgrounds and prompted those who did not quit to switch to hand-rolled tobacco products as a more affordable smoking option.

Interestingly, the study found that smoking rates among the most advantaged men—those categorised as ABC1, where the highest earner in the household holds a professional, managerial, or clerical job—have remained stable over the past decade.

Are more people vaping too?

Vaping amongst all women aged 18-45 has more than tripled in the last decade.

Only 5.1% of women reported vaping in 2013; this had risen dramatically to 19.7% in 2023, signifying one in five women under 45 vape. 

The bulk of this increase occurred after 2021. 

What next for young female smokers?

John Waldron, policy and public affairs manager at Action on Smoking and Health, said, “It is of particular concern that the increases have been seen in women of child-bearing age, as smoking in pregnancy doesn’t just threaten the lives of women but also their unborn children.”

Ann McNeill, a professor of tobacco addiction at King’s College London, said: “Researchers and clinicians have worked tirelessly over the last few decades to educate people on the harms of smoking tobacco, and to a large extent we have been successful. It’s worrying therefore that we should see any increases in smoking in any social demographic.

“Smoking, in any form, is uniquely deadly. We need to move quickly to understand why this group of women in particular are risking their health, despite all of the evidence.”

The Tobacco & Vapes Bill, which is set to become law in 2025, aims to prevent future generations from ever lighting a cigarette by making it an offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, phasing out the sale of tobacco products. This will mean anyone who turns 15 or younger in 2024 will never legally be sold tobacco products in their lifetime.

Summary – Smoking Rates Rise

It seems as though many people have lost sight of the incredibly damaging effects of smoking cigarettes. 

UCL’s study shows worrying smoking trends considering that tobacco has long been known to cause up to 70 types of cancer. Smoking remains ingrained and far too normalised in today’s society. 

Although the Tobacco & Vapes Bill shows strategy on behalf of the government, more is needed to address the habits of current smokers today, including consistent research into why more sections of the population have taken up smoking.

For more of the latest news on smoking and vaping, stay with the Vapour Hut.