The end of smoking in England? The importance of considering different metrics of success

Introduction

The UK Government’s ‘smoke-free generation’ policy aims to ban the sale of cigarettes and all other tobacco products to people born after 2008.1 If enacted, this will be the most substantial change to tobacco control policy in England since the 2007 ban on smoking in public places and workplaces. As other countries are considering following suit,2 3 evaluating the impact of this landmark legislation will be critically important and of high international relevance. How the success of the policy will be defined and measured needs careful thought.

National surveys can offer insight into recent progress in reducing smoking in England and how different metrics may have implications for evaluation. The UK Government uses the Annual Population Survey (APS) as its official estimate of smoking prevalence,4 but it only captures cigarette smoking and may miss some non-daily use.5 In light of…

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