Today is World NoTobacco Day. This annual campaign, run by the World Health Organisation, is an opportunity to raise awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second hand smoke exposure.

Q: My patient smokes cigarettes and has a BMI of 43, they drink 45 units of alcohol a week and their physical activity is limited. What should I do first or is it better to tackle all together?

Primary care clinicians are reminded that important changes to respiratory QOF indicators introduced by the new GP contract become effective from April 1. The changes are:

Tobacco dependency support is declining in GP practices and pharmacies and only half of local authorities now offer universal specialist stop smoking services.

An overloaded health system, lack of smoking cessation services and insufficient training are preventing primary care practitioners from using evidence based interventions to help patients to quit smoking.

A cross-party group of MPs has set out a range of tough measures to tackle tobacco dependency including raising the minimum age of sale for tobacco to prevent youngsters taking up the habit.

Regular e-cigarette use among young people remains low in Britain and has plateaued among adults, says a new report from Public Health England.

There is a danger that the debate around e-cigarettes will drown out the work needed to tackle tobacco dependency, warns a leading respiratory physician in a BMJ editorial.

E-cigarettes are almost twice as effective as nicotine replacement treatments (NRT) at helping smokers to quit finds a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine

PCRS believe that it is the responsibility of every healthcare professional to treat tobacco dependency systematically and effectively. PCRS advocate that people wishing to quit using tobacco should be offered the most effective but also the least harmful methods first to support a quit attempt.

If you are interested in and have relevant experience of providing support to stop smoking, this is a great opportunity for personal development and to see the workings of NICE at close quarters.

A focus on smoking in the home could provide new routes for smokers to quit and help protect children and non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke, says a new report from ASH.

PCRS has produced a draft copy for consultation of a pragmatic guide to diagnosing and managing tobacco dependence which calls for a new approach to treating smokers.

E-cigarettes, estimated to be 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes, are too often being overlooked as a stop smoking tool by the NHS, say MPs.

E-cigarette vapour boosts the production of inflammatory chemicals and disables key protective cells in the lung that keep the air spaces clear of potentially harmful particles, reveals a new study in the journal&