Rates of women smoking during pregnancy in Hull have fallen in recent years but remain higher than other areas across Yorkshire and the Humber.
A report presented to Hull City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board showed a downward trend in smoking during pregnancy over the past three years.
The data presented to the Board showed the percentage of women smoking during pregnancy in Hull as the following:
- 2022/23 – 18.5%
- 2023/24 – 16.4%
- 2024/25 – 13.2%
Despite the rate falling considerably in recent years, the Board were shown data that shows that Hull’s rate remains notably higher than in other areas across Yorkshire and the Humber. The 2024/25 figures for other nearby areas include:
- Leeds – 6.8%
- North East Lincolnshire – 11%
- Doncaster – 8.3%
- Sheffield – 5.9%
- East Riding of Yorkshire – 6.8%
Incentives have been used to dissuade women from smoking while pregnant. These include Love2shop vouchers being given out to those who are shown to have remained smoke-free at regular testing appointments. The report presented to the Board stated: “Incentives have been shown to be highly effective in helping people to stay engaged with local stop smoking support throughout pregnancy and to remain smoke-free in the months immediately following delivery, a time when relapse rates are high.”
The Board were also shown broader data that displayed the prevalence of smoking across the city. Despite being the most recent of its kind available, the data is from a survey conducted a number of years ago and the Board was told the individual figures are likely to now be lower but still show the same trends.
The data included general smoking prevalence across all Hull City Council wards and showed that the St Andrews & Docklands and Newington & Gipsyville wards have the highest proportion of smokers, while the wards with the lowest proportion of smokers are Kingswood and Bricknell.
Data was also presented that showed a direct correlation between smoking rates and deprivation with the most deprived more likely to smoke.
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
