This Commons Library briefing paper provides an overview of UK vaccination policy. It includes an introduction to the science of vaccination and covers UK vaccination programmes, as well as considering the response of the Government to the UK's loss of the World Health Organization's (WHO) measles elimination status.
Documents to download
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Statistics on Smoking (639 KB, PDF)
In 2019, 15.8% of people in Great Britain smoked cigarettes: 17.9% of men and 13.8% of women were regular smokers.
The proportion of adults who have never smoked cigarettes has increased over time, from 25% of men and 49% of women in 1974 to 56% and 64% respectively in 2019.
Smoking prevalence in 2019 was higher in Northern Ireland (15.6%) than in other constituent countries of Great Britain. The English region of Yorkshire and the Humber has the highest prevalence (15.7%)
In England, in 2018, 2% of school children aged 11-15 smoked at least once a week and in Scotland 2% of 13 year olds and 7% of 15 year olds did so.
An estimated 5.7% of those aged 16 and over in Great Britain were e-cigarette users in 2019.
In 2017/18, 16% of all deaths in people aged 35 or over in England – 77,800 deaths – were estimated as being attributable to smoking, while it was estimated to be the cause of around 9,360 deaths per year in Scotland.
In 2017/18 an estimated 444,000 hospital admissions in England were directly attributable to smoking, representing 4% of all hospital admissions.
Documents to download
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Statistics on Smoking (639 KB, PDF)
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House of Commons Library briefing on mental health policy in England.
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28% of adults in England are obese and a further 36% are overweight. This briefing provides statistics on the obesity among adults and children in the UK, along with data on bariatric surgery and international comparisons.