In December 1998 Smoking Kills – a White Paper on tobacco was released, which included targets for reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults in England from 28% in 1996 to 24% by 2010 (with an interim target of 26% by 2005). These targets were based on unweighted GHS data, and since they will now be monitored using weighted data, it is suggested that they should be revised upwards by one percentage point.

Reducing smoking is also one of three key commitments at the heart of the NHS Cancer Plan, since smoking is estimated to be the cause of about one third of all cancers. In particular, the Cancer Plan focuses on the need to reduce the comparatively high rates of smoking among those in manual socio-economic groups, which result in much higher death rates from cancer among unskilled workers than among professionals. The national target is to reduce the proportion of smokers in manual groups in England from 32% in 1998 to 26% by 2010. Comparisons of weighted and unweighted data suggest that, as with the Smoking Kills targets, these should also be increased by one percentage point. These figures may also need further revision in the light of the recent introduction of the new socio-economic classification NS-SEC.