More than a quarter of residents in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are smokers, causing more than 1,000 deaths every year.

There is a 50% difference in life expectancy between the least and most income deprived in the region, which has been attributed to smoking, but things are being done to try and curb the problem.

The 2020 Health and Well Being Strategy has been produced to try and make local residents more aware of the concerns and issues surrounding their general health.

Felicity Owen, Cornwall's Director of Public Health, said: "Smoking remains the biggest cause of ill health and premature death in Cornwall. It is not just about cancer, it causes serious conditions like coronary heart disease."

Part of the Smoke Free Cornwall campaign is making people aware of the dangers of smoking. Second hand smoke, from passive smoking, increases the risk of lung cancer, coronary heart disease and reduced lung function. In babies and young children it can lead to glue ear, cot death and more frequent chest infections.

Some shocking smoking facts:

• On average, each cigarette shortens a person's life by 13 and a half minutes
• 50% of continuing smokers will die because of their habit
• More people have died each year from smoking than from drug addiction, AIDS, traffic accidents and breast cancer put together

Over 70% of smokers wish to stop, and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Stop Smoking Service has 120 NHS Stop Smoking Advisors across the county based in Health Centres, GP Practices, Pharmacies, Community Centres and even some Pubs!

The good news is that people quitting with the local service have a higher quit rate after one year than nationally (23.9% compared with 19%).

The smoke free legislation which came in to place last summer seemed to have a positive effect on the region's health after very little time at all.

Cornish local authorities took part in an air quality study on behalf of the Tobacco Control Collaborating Centre and funded by Cancer Research UK, finding a drastic drop in air contamination levels in a venue in Camborne from 560µg/m3 in June to 15µg/m3 in August.

The smoking ban also highlights an improvement in employee health. Two employees were tested with a Carbon Monoxide Breathalyzer (to ensure they were not smokers) and saliva tested with mouth swabs. Cotinine, a by-product of nicotine, levels in their saliva significantly decreased after the smoking ban came in to place.

Although the smoking ban may be doing good for the health levels of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, it remains to be seen what the economic impacts may be. Cornwall is known for its hospitality industry, and with over 500 pubs listed for Cornwall in the Yellow Pages, there are concerns that the economy may suffer in the longer term.

However, according to Smoke Free Cornwall, there is international evidence from countries that have introduced legislation for smokefree public places and workplaces that the overall impact of smokefree legislation on the hospitality industry is not detrimental.

Ireland (2004), Norway (2004), Scotland (2006), New Zealand (2004), various Canadian territories and Australian states are examples of places which have introduced comprehensive smokefree legislation, including smokefree pubs, bars and restaurants.

In America, California has had state-wide smokefree public places since 1998 and New York City passed smokefree legislation in 2003. Today, over sixteen US states have smokefree legislation that required completely smokefree restaurants and bars.