Pubs in the most depressed areas of England will likely escape the government's planned smoking ban, exacerbating health inequalities between the rich and poor, doctors have warned.
Researchers from Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust undertook a study to examine which pubs and clubs within their region served food and whether they were located in poor or affluent areas.
Published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the team found that of 174 pubs in the borough, 99, or 57%, served food.
Under current proposals for a smoking ban in 2008, the 75 pubs, or 43%, not offering catered food services would be let off the hook.
When they added in licensed members' clubs, the number jumped to 127, or 56% that would be exempt.
The Government's white paper proposes a smoking ban in the majority of enclosed public places in England. The plan, however, exempts pubs that do not serve catered food and licensed establishments that require membership.
Based on their figures from Telford and Wrekin, the researchers estimated that two thirds of English pubs in deprived areas would be exempt, compared to just a quarter of establishments in affluent parts of town.
Again, when they included licensed members' clubs into the total, they found the figures rising to four-fifths and two-fifths, respectively.
"Our results suggest that people in deprived areas are more likely to live near pubs exempt from legislation to protect them against smoking," said Dr. Alan Woodall, specialist registrar in public health with Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust.
"This is likely to worsen inequalities in health and smoking prevalence. The UK government's white paper Choosing Health estimates 'only 10-30% of pubs could be smoking' but our data suggest the proportion of exempt pubs is higher.
"We urge the UK government to ban smoking in all enclosed public places, similar to the ban proposed in Scotland and enacted in Ireland, to prevent worsening health."
