NI's Social Division Over Deadly Levels Of Smoking Highlighted

It has emerged that almost three times more manual workers smoke than professionals.

The gap between the number of 'rich' and 'poorer' people taking up smoking in Northern Ireland is widening, it was revealed this week.

A third of unskilled manual workers use tobacco compared to 12% of professionals, the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) said.

Smoking is a major factor in stroke and coronary heart disease and kills two in every five people in the province.

The HPA is encouraging smokers to quit in the new year with an advertising campaign and Chief Executive Dr Brian Gaffney (pictured) said: "The campaign is aimed at all adults who smoke, particularly unskilled and semi-skilled manual workers.

"Evidence shows that tobacco is a major cause of health inequalities and is the principal cause of the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor."

According to the HPA, only 12% of professionals smoke compared to a huge 35% of unskilled manual workers, with the divide widening - even though smoking kills up to 3,000 people every year.

Radio advertising also raises awareness of the link between smoking and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), which causes a blockage in the arteries and can lead to gangrene.

"We know that stopping smoking isn't easy and smokers can make more than a dozen quit attempts before they successfully stop smoking for good," said Dr Gaffney.

(BMcC)