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  • RACE AND RACISM IN PRIMARY CARE
Practice & Policy

COVID-19: Risk of increase in smoking rates among England’s 6 million smokers and relapse among England’s 11 million ex-smokers

Pooja Patwardhan
BJGP Open 2020; 4 (2): bjgpopen20X101067. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen20X101067
Pooja Patwardhan
1 Sessional GP, and Medical Director, Centre for Health Research and Education, UK
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This article has a correction. Please see:

  • Correction: COVID-19: Risk of increase in smoking rates among England’s 6 million smokers and relapse among England’s 11 million ex-smokers - January 01, 2021
  • Smoking relapse
  • COVID-19
  • Smoking cessation
  • coronavirus
  • general practice
  • primary healthcare

​Possible unintended consequences of social isolation and mental stress

As a practising GP, I am concerned about those who might get seriously unwell due to the respiratory virus SARS-CoV-2. As a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), I join hands with the public health and other healthcare communities to focus on acute measures in this time of national emergency to save lives from COVID-19. At the same time, I am also worried about those who may not currently be in the high-risk group for COVID-19 but will be self-isolating and maintaining social distance. As the world goes into lockdown, social distancing and self-isolation are likely to make the society very lonely and life more stressful.

We are already seeing patients in general practice who are understandably stressed in these extra-ordinary circumstances. With my experience of working in preventive medicine and smoking cessation, the uncertainty and the stress might push current smokers to smoke more cigarettes and ex-smokers to relapse back to smoking.

A perfect (bad) storm for relapsing and smoking more

There are many people really worried about the health of their ageing parents whom they cannot now visit, about the financial and health impact COVID-19 will have on their lives, and about all the other uncertainties around it. Staying at home, people are listening to all sorts of news — some true, some rumours — about what the future might have in store for them. The feeling of helplessness will be pronounced when the usual comfort of sharing their worries and the stresses …

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Vol. 4, Issue 2
June 2020
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COVID-19: Risk of increase in smoking rates among England’s 6 million smokers and relapse among England’s 11 million ex-smokers
Pooja Patwardhan
BJGP Open 2020; 4 (2): bjgpopen20X101067. DOI: 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101067

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COVID-19: Risk of increase in smoking rates among England’s 6 million smokers and relapse among England’s 11 million ex-smokers
Pooja Patwardhan
BJGP Open 2020; 4 (2): bjgpopen20X101067. DOI: 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101067
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  • Article
    • ​Possible unintended consequences of social isolation and mental stress
    • A perfect (bad) storm for relapsing and smoking more
    • Decades of tobacco control successes at risk of reversing
    • Helping current and ex-smokers stay away from cigarettes in these challenging times
    • Notes
    • References
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Keywords

  • Smoking relapse
  • COVID-19
  • Smoking cessation
  • coronavirus
  • general practice
  • primary healthcare

More in this TOC Section

  • Augmented Consulting: the future of primary care?
  • Communicating with people with hearing loss: COVID-19 and beyond
  • Improving the utility and sustainability of novel health technology to improve clinical outcomes for patients: an East Staffordshire experience of screening for atrial fibrillation with the AliveCor KardiaMobile
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