Vouchers to buy school meals and free e-cigarettes for pregnant women. These are two of the measures to fight poverty in South London.
"By quitting smoking, a pregnant woman can save nearly £2000 a year. We know that e-cigarettes are less harmful and that they are already helping many people to quit smoking" said Ben Kind, local politician in the Lambeth district.
Since October 2022, pregnant women in South London will have access to free e-cigarettes to stay smoke-free. According to the local authorities, the initiative is one of several measures to improve the health of economically disadvantaged families.
"Smoking harms the unborn baby and it is much more common for women in poverty to continue smoking during pregnancy. If a woman can quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes, we want to support this," said a Lambeth council spokesperson. to the BBC.
Recommended by authorities
The action in Lambeth, a district in south London is based on previous studies where economically vulnerable groups have been given free access to e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking. Vaping is an effective and relatively risk-free way to become smoke-free according to the state NHS and the method is recommended by the health authorities in England. But according to Ben Child, responsible for health interventions in Lambeth, the action is not just a health project. It is as much about economics.
"We know that smoking contributes to poverty. By quitting smoking, a family can save nearly £2000 a year. We want to help them quit smoking and improve their finances at the same time." he told the BBC.
Known risks of smoking
Although it is not fully known what effects vejpning has on the unborn child, then consider Ben Child as well as NHS, that the risks of harm are likely to be reduced if cigarettes are replaced by e-cigarettes.
"Ideally, pregnant women should stop using nicotine altogether, but we know that this is very difficult for many. We also know that e-cigarettes help many people quit smoking and that it is significantly less harmful than smoking" says Ben Child.
Also aimed at family members
It is not only the pregnant woman who is offered support to quit smoking. Other family members are also included in the target group.
"We are doing this in partnership with our local stop smoking service and targeting not only pregnant women but also others in the household who will have close contact with the baby" says Ben Child to the BBC.
The vouchers, which cover the cost of e-cigarettes, are part of a larger package that also includes reimbursement for school meals and contributions to an open kitchen where NGOs can prepare and serve food to the economically vulnerable.
Helping to reduce smoking rates quickly
According to a recent report from the UK Office for health improvement and disparities (formerly Public Health England), smoking has declined rapidly since 2010, from 20% to 13%. A major contributing factor is that e-cigarettes are increasing smoking cessation rates and vejpning has replaced smoking for nearly 4 million Britons.
