Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control

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The Declaration provides a public opportunity for local authorities to publish a statement of their dedication to protecting local communities from the harm caused by smoking. The Declaration has been endorsed by leading figures including the Public Health Minister and the Chief Medical Officer.

Every year in England, more than 80,000 people die from smoking related diseases[i]. In York more than 300 deaths and 2000 hospital admissions every year are attributable to smoking related illnesses [ii]. In 2011-12 1 in 6 babies in York were born to mothers who smoked.

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Books on Prescription are great medicine

Residents tackling mental health issues have a brand new route to free treatment in York.

In partnership with national health professionals, York’s Libraries are launching an innovative mental health self-help initiative.

Books on prescription

The Books on Prescription scheme follows the opening of new reading café at a mental health treatment centre in the city, and enables GPs and mental health professionals to write a ‘book prescription’ as part of a patients’ cognitive behavioural therapy.

This recommends reading from a set of 30 self-help books approved by health professionals and designed to help people address or manage health problems such as anxiety or depression.

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New figures reveal hundreds of thousands of children regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in a car

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New figures released by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) that show around 185,000 children between the ages of 11-15 in England are exposed to potentially toxic concentrations of second-hand smoke in their family car every day or most days.

That’s the equivalent of more than 6,100 classrooms full of children.

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, Director of Health and Wellbeing at City of York Council said:

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Alcohol in York

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York is supporting this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week which is taking place from 18 to 22 November.

Alcohol has an important role in many people’s social lives but it is easy to underestimate how much or how often we are drinking, and that it is causing harm to ourselves and others.Local statistics for York suggest that 20% of people who drink alcohol in the city are drinking in ways that put their health at risk.

In 2010/11 in York, more than 3,000 people were admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illnesses (Local Alcohol Profiles for England, calculated from indicators 10 and 11), and an estimated 18,000 attended A&E (estimate from Alcohol Concern’s alcohol harm map http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/campaign/alcohol-harm-map)

 

The cost to the city’s health services due to alcohol misuse alone is estimated at £58 per adult resident (alcohol concern alcohol harm map as above.)

Alcohol misuse can also fuel violent crime: in 2010/11 there were estimated to be four violent crimes attributable to alcohol for every 1,000 people in York (local alcohol profile as above indicator 16).

Estimates of the number of people who binge drink is above the national average (local area alcohol profile indicator 24.)
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Hundreds in York could add years to their lives

More than 750 people in York joined a quarter of a million people across the nation in turning their back on cigarettes this month in the mass 28-day stop smoking challenge, Stoptober.

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Research shows that stopping smoking for 28 days can extend your life by up to one week if you remain smokefree.  The new ex-smokers from York are therefore celebrating their first steps towards a healthier, smokefreelife, and if they succeed in quitting for good, they could collectively add more than 14 years of life to the city’s population.

Taking part in Stoptober has reaped additional benefits:

·The average smoker has 13 cigarettes a day, which equates to 364 cigarettes every four weeks.  Stoptober would have saved them £141 each over four weeks and if they remain smokefree they could save £423 by Christmas and £1,696 in a year. 

Collectively, if all Stoptober participants in York quit for the 28 days this month they would have saved £106,314.

·With the average cigarette taking approximately four minutes to smoke [5], this Stoptober could have saved the average smoker over 24 hours by not smoking; and cumulatively the nation’s Stoptober participants would have gained over 680 years in spare time.

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Be alert to the symptoms of bladder and kidney cancers

City of York Council is supporting the NHS Be Clear on Cancer ‘Blood in Pee’ campaign.

The campaign will run from 15 October to 20 November 2013 across England. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the key symptom common to both bladder and kidney cancer – blood in pee – and encourage those with this symptom, even if it’s ‘just the once’, to see their doctor straight away. If bladder and kidney cancers are diagnosed early they are more treatable.

Adverts will appear on national TV, radio and in the press.

Around 65 people in York (1774 people in Yorkshire and Humber) are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer each year and these cancers account for around 7,500 deaths per year across the country.

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Walk to School Week

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Walk to School Week that is taking place from 7 -11 October.

27 schools will by vying for the coveted Jack Archer trophy which will be on offer to the school that gets the most pupils walking, cycling and scooting.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Jack Archer Trophy the council will be matching Age UK’s prize of £200, giving the winning school £400 to spend on sports equipment. The runners up will receive £200 for sports equipment and third place will win hi-viz jackets for their class.

On Wednesday 9 October there will be a bonus prize given to the school with the most people who ride a scooter to school. The prize is a Scooter Pod for the school which is worth £300.

Walking to school has many benefits, helping both the environment and health. Children who walk to school are proven to be more alert in lessons, parents too at work. A 15 minute walk will provide a child with a quarter of the 60 minutes of recommended daily exercise.

To find out more about changing the way you travel in York go to http://www.itravelyork.co.uk/

Healthy lifestyle campaign kicks off

Click to go to web site

Click to go to web site

This September Change4Life is asking families in Yorkto make the most of the fresh start of the new school year by signing up to a healthy change when the kids go back to the classroom. Families across York are being encouraged to take on one change for the better, for six weeks – to help them lead healthier lifestyles for longer.

By the end of summer we can all tend to slack off a bit and it’s easy to let good intentions slide. But the new school year is the perfect time for a new beginning and for the whole family to get fit and healthy for the best year yet!

To help families in the York area do this, Change4Life is encouraging them to sign up to the FREE Smart Restart campaign and pick one healthy change for them to try when they go back to school.

Once signed up, families will receive support from Change4Life via email and text messages for six weeks from the start of term, as well as details of special offers, competitions and virtual rewards for the kids.

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