The children breathe air regularly polluted by

thecauses of second hand smoke includes serious cardiovascular and respiratorydiseases. In infants, it causes sudden death and in pregnant women, low birthweight and more than 890, 000 premature deaths per year. Almost half of thechildren breathe air regularly polluted by tobacco smoke in public places. In 2004, children were accounted for the 28% of the deaths attributed to second handsmoking.

Children with a parent who smokes are three times more likely tosmoke. It is estimated that each year at least 23, 000 young people in Englandand Wales start smoking by the age of 15 as a result of exposure to smoking athome (RCP, 2010). This is the reason why a new legislation in England and Walesmade it illegal to smoke in a vehicle carrying someone under the age of 18 andthe fine for the offence is £50. This law is to protect children and youngpeople from the damaging effects of second-hand smoke, which can put them atrisk of serious health implications (Public Health of England).

Smoking worsens poverty in adults with mentalconditions in the UK. Analysis from the Health Survey for England and the AdultPsychiatric Morbidity Survey reports that the number of adults in the UK with mentalhealth problems and who currently smoke are considered as living in poverty iftheir expenditure on tobacco is being taken from their household income. Theanalysis found that smoking prevalence is very high with adults in poverty whohave a mental problem with an estimated 900, 000 to 1. 2 million people with acommon mental disorder living in poverty who are currently smokers.

10% of theestimated 1. 3 million poor smokers with a common mental health problems wouldbe lifted from poverty if they were to quit smoking because the average annualexpenditure of a poor smoker with a mental disorder is about £1220. Thereforesmoking creates a very significant financial burden to an individual in adeprived group (Social Care Institute for Excellence- Mental health, smokingand poverty in the UK, 2016.)