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Newly published research has shown that a single cigarette can knock as many as 20 minutes off a person’s life expectancy… so how many people in Jersey are at risk?
The figures released by University College London to nationwide surprise yesterday are nearly double previous estimates – with a single pack of 20 costing an individual seven hours of life on average.
Around six million adults in the UK are smokers, with the total sitting at 11.6% of the population in 2023. Continuing a downward trend from 2011, this was a reduction from 12.7% in 2022.
While many islanders have kicked the habit over the past 10 years, the proportion of smokers in Jersey remains slightly higher than the UK.
Around one in eight adults (13%) are smokers – a decrease since 2014 (18%). Of these, nearly one in 10 islanders (9%) smoke daily, according to new stats released this month.
Pictured: One in eight Jersey adults are smokers. (Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey)
Daily or occasional smoking was lowest among adults aged 65 and over, and highest among those aged 16 to 34. Vaping levels were also highest in this age group – one in 10 said they vaped "often/sometimes", while 7% said they used them every day.
Just over half of Jersey adults (54%) have never smoked. However, around a tenth of this group said they used or had tried e-cigarettes.
A report published this month showed that Jersey has a significantly higher incidence of four of the top-ten most common cancers – including head and neck cancers, which remain far higher on the island compared with England and the south-west region.
Around 15 people in Jersey die from this type of cancer every year, compared with (per 100,000 people) six in the south-west of England, and seven across the whole of England.
Consultant oncologist Dr Elizabet Gomes Dos Santos said that around 30% of cancers were considered preventable, and that there were key factors contributing to those areas where Jersey’s incidence rates were noticeably higher.
“Smoking is responsible for 72% of lung cancer cases, and with head and neck cancers there is a direct relation with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption,” she said.
Pictured: Smoking is responsible for nearly three quarters of lung cancer cases.
Beyond cancer, smoking is associated with a host of other health conditions, ranging from respiratory issues to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
It was a Transient Ischaemic Attack – known as a “mini-stroke” – that led Gary Amy to kick a half-century habit he had begun when he was 14.
“They said to me at the hospital, 'This is a warning: you need to change your lifestyle.' And that’s when I went, 'That’s it.' Cigarettes in the bin that evening.”
Speaking to Express last year about his smoking journey, the maintenance engineer in his 60s explained how his breathing had significantly eased after quitting, his sense of smell had improved and he was saving significant amounts of money – as much as £3,000 a year.
Pictured: Gary Amy had smoked since he was 14, but was driven to quit after a "mini-stroke".
Since then, rising tobacco duty has seen the cost of cigarettes further escalate – and politicians recently voted to add 83p to the price of a 20-pack in 2025.
UCL's research showed that, if a smoker quits on New Year's Day, then they could have a week of their life back by 20 February. By the end of that year, they could avoid losing 50 days of life.
The research follows the introduction of the UK's landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which includes measures to create "the first smoke-free generation" by phasing out sales of tobacco products to individuals born after 1 January 2009.
Jersey is independently governed and would therefore need to introduce its own legislation to do this, but has previously tended to follow the UK's public health measures. The island banned smoking indoors alongside the UK in 2007, and is also on course to ban disposable vapes from next year.
Pictured: Jersey has historically tended to follow the UK when it comes to anti-smoking measures.
Anyone wanting to quit smoking is able to use Jersey's free and confidential Help2Quit service, which offers weekly support sessions and free nicotine replacement therapy. The service is delivered from Maison Le Pape opposite the hospital, as well asfrom the Enid Quenault Centre at the former Les Quennevais School in St Brelade.
According to officials, islanders who use the service are three times more likely to stop smoking for good.
Research from Censuswide showed more than half (53%) of UK smokers were planning on quitting smoking as a New Year's resolution in 2025.
The UK's Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, commented: "Smoking has an immediate impact on your lung and heart’s health as well as significantly increasing your chance of getting a chronic illness or disability and of dying young.
"Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your current and future health."
"his new year, start afresh and leave smoking in the past," she added.
To find out more about the Help2Quit service in Jersey, click HERE.
FOCUS: Smoker since age 14 opens up about kicking lifelong habit
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