Portsmouth named one of the 10 English cities making the most progress in cutting smoking
Portsmouth is one of the 10 English cities making the most progress in cutting smoking, according to a new study.
A decade ago, around one in five adults in the city smoked (20.5% in 2014 to 2016). In recent years, that has fallen to 10.9%, a drop of almost half.
My Health Protected compared smoking rates across 44 English cities. Each was scored out of 100 on how much its rate had fallen and how high it still is, with the fall counting for 70% of the total.
Portsmouth scored 70.97 to take ninth place. Only eight cities cut their smoking rate by more.
In recent years, 10.9% of adults in Portsmouth smoked, just above the England average of 10.3%.
The city finished well ahead of its Hampshire neighbours. Southampton was 27th, and Winchester made the least progress of any city, though its rate was already low.
The English cities making the most progress in cutting smoking are:
Gloucester (91.29)
York (88.35)
Colchester (86.91)
St Albans (85.95)
Southend-on-Sea (83.25)
Lancaster (79.33)
Newcastle upon Tyne (78.60)
Sunderland (71.53)
Portsmouth (70.97)
Milton Keynes (68.37)
Source: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Smoking Profile