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| Issue 101 | 15 October 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
Clearly an urgent area of work that needs to be attacked is the display ban. The election process is an opportunity for us all to quiz our local candidates on their support or otherwise so we have good intelligence at hand just after the results have been announced. So get along to your 'town hall' meeting and put your candidates under the microscope. If you are stuck for a question, something like, "Do you support a retail display ban for cigarettes and tobacco products? If not, why not?" This is bound to elicit some responses as the tail of the question allows them no wriggle room. Another area needing urgent attention after the election is the anomaly on the price of roll-your-own tobacco compared with tailor made cigarettes. The 'price advantage' enjoyed by roll-your-own smokers lets them continue smoking cheaply, thus not having to face the trade off between the high cost of tobacco and quitting. Any new government will have to deal with this as a matter of urgency. Next is the issue of the indexation of the taxation on tobacco. This needs a good look over. The cost price index (CPI) currently used has seen cigarettes become relatively more affordable. The effect of any price increase on tobacco needs to be bedded in so that strong incentives to quit smoking because of price are not eroded over time. While there are other price issues which could be addressed too, these may be for another time. Finally, you will notice that we have sneaked quietly through our one hundredth issue of the Tobacco Control Update. Much has been achieved during this time. All the old issues are archived on the Smokefree Coalition website and they are well worth a revisit to remind ourselves just how far we have come. That's all from me this time. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director IN THIS ISSUE:
MIDCENTRAL HEALTH QUIT SMOKING SERVICE WINS HEALTH AWARDS
This year's health award for excellence within mental health and addictions was won by the MidCentral Health Quit Smoking Service. The criteria for applications was to demonstrate how the service provided would improve the mental health and addictions of MidCentral District's population, and thereby improve quality of life. The MidCentral Quit Smoking Service is now into its seventh year. The service has raised awareness that addiction to nicotine is as important to address and treat as any other addiction. A recent external evaluation of the service was very positive. The service also provides training and support to staff within the region. SMOKING CESSATION – THE POWER OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL!
Quite often I hear thanks given to the cessation support person who has assisted them with their quit attempt, but what really interests me is what actually motivates them to make the attempt. While the underlying reasons may be to avoid or reduce adverse health impacts, to save money or to reduce the likelihood of their children smoking, the actual catalyst will often be the intervention of a health professional. The 2007 Smoking Cessation Guidelines make this clear and recommend that all doctors and other health care workers provide advice to quit smoking at least once a year to all patients who smoke. This brief advice means that about one in 40 people who would not otherwise have stopped smoking will do so for at least six months after receiving this advice. Health professionals often see people who are in situations where they are most likely to be receptive to such an intervention. A summer studentship research project that we funded a few years ago showed that a patient's readiness to quit smoking was documented in only seven out of 198 hospital files reviewed. This was very disappointing given the evidence that we have on the effectiveness of interventions and it is hoped that a new file review would show much improvement. The best evidence we currently have (from Professor Shu-Hong Zhu of the University of California) suggests that increasing the number of quit attempts is the key to increasing the quit rates in the population. This work highlights the need to give people options and opportunities to quit. It means that we should not see a 'failure' to quit as an actual failure but as a step towards the successful quit attempt. So the message is to follow the guidelines and provide brief advice to quit smoking, at least once a year, to all patients who smoke and you will be making an important contribution to reducing the impact of tobacco on the health of New Zealanders. Jane Patterson,
Executive Director NORTH CANTERBURY STUDENTS WANT TOBACCO OUT OF SIGHT
"The students involved spoke forcefully about the impact of tobacco displays on young people and called on their local MPs, many of whom were present, to support the campaign to get tobacco out of sight," said Cancer Society Health Promoter Cheryl Galland. "It was a shame the five National MPs who attended didn't convey the students' thoughts to their fellow colleagues on the Health Select Committee, who recently voted against removing tobacco displays." These young North Cantabrians, along with a growing number of young people around New Zealand, are working with the Cancer Society to take action to get tobacco out of sight. The youth led/adult supported project, aims to empower young people to take action on the campaign to ban tobacco displays, while reflecting the following principles:
This youth advocacy initiative has been proving successful, with the youth
ambassadors becoming powerful advocates not only in North Canterbury, but also
around the country. To see what some of these young people have been up to
visit: QUIT GROUP CLIENT STATISTICS AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2008The following are provisional figures for Quit Group clients during August and September 2008. They reveal how many people are using the various quit-smoking services offered.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SMOKING IN CARS?The New Zealand Transport Agency has released a rule for public consultation. The rule proposes a ban on the use of handheld mobile phones in cars. The relevance for the tobacco control community is an opportunity to provide information on smoking in motor vehicles. Please make any submissions before 16 October 2008. As this consultation is on 'driver distractions' emphasis needs to be placed on the distraction that cigarettes can cause drivers. Consumption of tobacco Preparation of roll-your-own tobacco Second-hand smoke in cars To view the rule or have your say visit www.nzta.govt.nz/consultation/road-user-amendment/index.html. There is a data capture form on the website, so you do not have to prepare a specific document if you do not wish to. 40TH ANNIVERSARY SIR DAVID HAY ORATIONThe Heart Foundation invites you to attend the 40th Anniversary Sir David Hay Oration with guest speaker, Professor Robert Beaglehole. Professor Beaglehole qualified in medicine in New Zealand graduating from the University of Otago in 1968. He then trained in epidemiology and public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1979 he joined the Department of Community Health at the University of Auckland where he developed a comprehensive research programme in cardiovascular disease, monitoring its trends and determinants over two decades. This programme was part of a multi-centre study coordinated by World Health Organization (WHO). In 2000 he was engaged more directly with WHO, and subsequently become the Director of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. In this role he was responsible for WHO's global technical programmes for the prevention and control of chronic diseases – especially heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – and health promotion. He has published widely including several books on epidemiology and public health. He is now an Emeritus Professor of the University of Auckland and continues to be active in public health, globally and nationally. Auckland Wellington Christchurch For more information visit www.heartfoundation.org.nz. THROUGH THE SMOKEGreat reasons to smoke
Research told Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection they needed negative role models young people would never want to emulate. The group turned smoking cessation communications on its head by creating two anti-Marlboro men and by asking people to consider the poor justifications they used for continuing to smoke. This great little series of six videos is really quite amusing. You can choose among them by clicking on the images below the main screen, or use the arrows on either side. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandSmoking, cell phones, fiddling with radios play big part in road crashes
And 147 were caused by drivers showing off by racing or pulling "doughnuts", crash figures from last year released by the Ministry of Transport show. Drivers who lost control or failed to give way were the most common factors in injury crashes. Losing control was also the most common factor in fatal crashes. New Zealand Herald, 3 October 2008 Pub's outdoor pokie machines tested in court The Kilbirnie Tavern's decision to set up smoker-friendly outdoor pokie machines has reached the court, with the Department for Internal Affairs asking for advice on how the move affects the pub's licence. Dominion Post, 13 October 2008 ASH seeks licensing restrictions for tobacco The calls from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) for tobacco retailers to be licensed come the day after two Ashburton shop owners were fined for selling tobacco to minors. Yahoo, 10 October 2008 InternationalUnderage teen dupes cigarette vending machine technology A 17-year-old boy, taken into custody for possessing cigarettes while underage, managed to dupe a facial recognition cigarette vending machine here by simply frowning at it, he told police. Face recognition vending machines are supposed to prevent minors from purchasing cigarettes by analysing customers' faces in order to determine their age. The Mainichi Daily News, 27 September 2008 Paul Newman's death casts spotlight on lung cancer
Newman died only a few months after pictures surfaced of him looking frail and thin as he was wheeled from the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, where he was said to be receiving treatment for lung cancer. During Newman's rise to fame in the 1950s, cigarette smoking was used in the movies and on television to convey masculinity, sophistication and sex appeal. FoxNews.com, 27 September 2008 Parental warning: Second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in kids Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware – second-hand smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine Canadian institutions. ScienceDaily, 30 September 2008 Kill the tobacco industry, or it will keep killing This month in Rio de Janeiro, the global tobacco industry's annual conference features a special session on what many are seeing as its Armageddon: plain, generic packaging. All packs are identical except for the brand name, printed in standard font. No colours, no logos, no box variations – nothing but the brand and the health warning. The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 October 2008 RJ Reynolds preps dissolvable tobacco
The new products, grouped under the Camel Dissolvables banner, are smokeless and spit-free; they are made from finely milled tobacco and held together with food grade binders. BrandWeek, 8 October 2008 Dutch pub owners rebel against smoking law Dutch pub owners have launched a coordinated resistance against a smoking ban introduced in June, taking their ashtrays out of short-lived storage and pooling cash to pay the resultant fines. Thousands have joined groupings intent on countering the law seen by many as "un-Dutch" and patriarchal; approaching the courts for relief and daring authorities to try and stop their clients from lighting up. AFP, 9 October 2008 Smoking may depress women Smoking is widely known to damage the body but new Australian research suggests the addiction could be taking a toll on the mind too. A study of more than a thousand women has found that females who smoke are more likely to develop major depression. Heavy smokers – those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day – have almost double the risk of developing diagnosable depression than non smokers. News.com.au, 1 October 2008 Kenneth Branagh signs up for The Simpsons
The British star will play an Irish publican when Homer and Grandpa visit a pub in which Grandpa claims he spent the best night of his life. Homer and Grandpa fly over to Ireland in order to buy the establishment, but find that it isn't easy due to the smoking ban. Digital Spy, 6 October 2008 You'll never shock a smoker: editorial Will the anti-smoking hecklers never give up? They have already banned smoking in all public places (a move with significant merit) and now they're trying to sneak their browbeating way into the most private of places, our handbags. As at 1 October, all cigarette packets carry gruesome images of the effects smoking can have on your health. Black lungs mottled with sticky tar, a throat resembling an open wound infested with a swarm of wriggling leeches, sperm too puffed out to swim for victory. Not the sort of holiday snaps I wish to glimpse as I'm searching through my purse for a lighter. The Independent (UK), 2 October 2008 Even occasional smoking can impair arteries: study Even occasional cigarette smoking can impair the functioning of your arteries, according to a new University of Georgia study that used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of young, healthy adults respond to changes in blood flow. Physorg.com, 7 October 2008 Secret papers reveal Tony Blair's F1 tobacco deal Tony Blair personally ordered an exemption for motor racing from a tobacco sponsorship ban after Labour received a secret £1m donation from Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One boss. The Times Online, 14 October 2008 When doctors, and even Santa, endorsed tobacco
From the 1920s into the 1950s, cigarette ads featured endorsers as varied as babies, Mickey Mantle, doctors and even Santa Claus. An exhibit of these campaigns is on display at the Science, Industry and Business Library in New York and is also online. The New York Times, 6 October 2008 Fire closes Charleston bar that defied smoking ban A fire did what the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department couldn't: shut down the Blackhawk Saloon. A small fire broke out in the Charleston bar, forcing customers to evacuate. Investigators from the state Fire Marshal's office were looking into the blaze. "It's Blackhawk down," said bar owner Kerry "Paco" Ellison. Charleston Gazette (US), 9 October 2008 Light cigarette case dismissed Helsinki District Court on Friday dismissed a case against the companies British American Tobacco Nord and Amer in which three plaintiffs had filed claims against the companies for misleading advertising of light' cigarettes. YLE (Finland), 10 October 2008 MILESTONESLook who has had a birthday recently... Chris Bullen and Ken Bagnall! QUOTABLE QUOTES"Most people know that if they have a cigarette or two over the weekend that it's not good for their arteries," said study co-author Kevin McCully, a professor of kinesiology in the UGA College of Education, "but what they may not be aware of – and what our study shows – is that the decrease in function persists into the next week, if not longer." "Even occasional smoking can impair arteries" |
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Roll on the election! It is really quiet at the moment
and the election will give us some focus and help crystallise the style of work we will need to do to further a tobacco control agenda.
MidCentral 2008 Health Awards took place on Friday 12 October to honour providers of health care in the MidCentral
District. The Awards attracted over 80 entries from health providers. Six-hundred guests attended the Awards ceremony including finalists, board members and community leaders.
One of the things I particularly enjoy hearing about when I visit COPD support groups is stories from people who have recently quit smoking. They are generally rightly proud of themselves. We know quitting isn't easy because if it was, the 80 percent of smokers who indicate that they wish they had never started would probably have quit by now and our smoking rates would be much, much lower!
Students from five North Canterbury
primary schools have recently added their voices to the campaign to remove
tobacco displays from retail outlets. The schools were taking part in the finals of the Cancer Society's North Canterbury
Smokefree Speech Competition. This year the competition's theme was "Out of Sight, Out of Mind: protect children from tobacco marketing", reflecting the Cancer Society's national campaign focus.
Smoking rates in Nova Scotia were among the highest in Canada so a call for action was required. Young Nova Scotians did not consider smoking an issue and the current messages were not increasing awareness of the dangers of smoking. Smoking cessation was a tired issue – stale health messages preaching the negative effects of smoking.
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the
story in full.
Hundreds of car crashes occurred last year because of driver distractions such as smoking cigarettes, playing with the radio or talking on a cellphone.
Lung cancer has been thrust into the spotlight again after the death of legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman at the age of 83.
RJ Reynolds Tobacco will dive deeper into the smokeless category next year by nationally distributing
Camel Snus and introducing in test markets dissolvable alternatives to cigarettes called
Camel Sticks, Camel Orbs and Camel Strips.
Actor Kenneth Branagh has agreed to voice a role in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons.
People who remember when tobacco advertising was a prominent part of the media landscape – and others who recall what they learned in Marketing 101 – probably recollect that actors like Barbara Stanwyck and athletes like Mickey Mantle routinely endorsed cigarettes.