MORE than 330 children are born in Bradford each year to mothers who smoked during their pregnancy – health bosses have been told.
And in one part of the district, one in four mums smoke while pregnant.
Members of the Bradford and Airedale Health and Wellbeing Board were told the stark figures during a meeting on Tuesday, where they heard smoking whilst pregnant “increases the risk of stillbirth, premature birth, miscarriages, birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome”.
The board includes representatives from health bodies, police, Bradford Council, and education providers, and they were given an update on what is being done in Bradford to encourage people to stop smoking.
They were told that as well as the health issues caused by smoking, it can be a “financially devastating” addiction, with most smokers spending around 10 per cent of their disposable income in tobacco.
A number of stop smoking schemes operate in Bradford, including major publicity campaigns in the New Year and October.
Jorge Zepeda, head of public health at Bradford Council told members that smoking costs the country £43.7bn a year through a combination of lost economic productivity and health and social care costs.
That cost rises to £78.3bn if the cost of early deaths due to smoking is included.
He pointed out that smoking brings in just £6.8bn in tobacco tax revenue, meaning the cost to the country eclipses the financial benefits.
He told the panel: “Smoking is not only a health issue, it is a social economic issue.
“For households who smoke, 10 per cent of disposable income is spent on tobacco.”
The panel heard that while smoking rates had fallen dramatically in recent decades, there were still some groups where figures remained high.
People in more deprived areas are more likely to use tobacco, with around one in three adults living in social housing smoking. This is compared to one in 10 in private housing.
The report to members said this meant smoking is a “financially devastating addiction” for many people.
Three quarters of homeless people smoke, and the smoking rate among prisoners is 80 per cent.
Referring to the impact of smoking while pregnant, the report to the panel says: “Smoking during pregnancy is the leading modifiable risk factor for poor birth outcomes, increasing the risk of stillbirth, premature birth, miscarriages, birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome.
“Offering targeted support for pregnant women to quit smoking is a major contribution to ensuring that every child has the best start in life.
“The prevalence of smoking in pregnancy is influenced by factors like place of residence (higher in most deprived areas), age (highest among younger women – over 40 per cent are under age 19) and ethnicity (higher among white ethnicities) and can be as high as one in four pregnant women residents in Keighley West and 22.7 per cent in Tong.”
Around 1,180 children in the district start smoking each year.
On the general health impact, the report said that around 650 people die every year in Bradford from smoking-related causes.
“For each death, some 30 other people have a smoking related condition that potentially reduces capacity to work and income,” it added.
“About 2,610 people are estimated to be out of work in Bradford due to smoking.
“A third of all smoking households in Bradford fall below the poverty line when smoking expenses are considered, that means over 14,000 households in Bradford could be lifted out of the poverty line if the residents stopped smoking.
“People who develop a smoking-related illness will be severely impaired in their ability to perform routine activities, eventually requiring social care services to support them through their daily lives.”
Referring to the financial costs of smoking in Bradford, the report says it costs £455 million a year in Bradford, including £285 million in lost productivity (lost earnings, smoking-related unemployment and early deaths), £143 million in social care costs, and £3.78 million in losses caused by smoking-related fires.
Mr Zepeda said: “10 per cent of social care costs are caused by tobacco related harm. One of the best things we could do to make the NHS sustainable would be to help smokers to quit.”
He told members that smoking cessation schemes had seen some success in recent years. In the 2024/25 financial year the service helped 1,234 people quit.
Referring to the hurdles in getting people to quit, the report says: “Success in quitting is linked to the level of addiction and the environment smokers live in; more disadvantaged smokers live in communities where smoking is more common, making it potentially harder to quit.
“Therefore, smokers living in disadvantaged areas are least likely to try to quit and less likely to succeed.”
