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| Issue 109 | 18 February 2009 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
The Government has until the end of February to respond to the Health Select Committee's recommendation that the display of tobacco products be banned at retail outlets. If it is serious about reducing smoking, and especially youth smoking, then it will follow the Select Committee's advice. There is no doubt that these so-called tobacco 'power walls', are just another form of tobacco advertising. We banned most types of tobacco promotion in 1990, and cigarette displays have now become an essential part of the tobacco industry's marketing strategy. They are considered to be their most 'important sphere of influence'. It's a loophole that needs to be closed. And they do increase the likelihood a child seeing them regularly will start to smoke. A New Zealand survey of nearly 30,000 14- and 15-year-olds showed a significant association between tobacco displays and smoking susceptibility. In fact, young people who visit stores two to three times a week have twice the likelihood of becoming a smoker compared to someone who visits stores less than weekly. For a country that has until now led the world in tobacco control, it's become an embarrassment that New Zealand still allows cigarettes to be advertised in such a blatant fashion to our most vulnerable citizens. Health groups are unanimous in their calls to ban displays, and prominent public figures, such as Dame Cath Tizard, are now adding their voices to these calls. Along with the Select Committee, that's a lot of wise heads. For the sake of our children's future health, the Government had better get this one right. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director IN THIS ISSUE:
Quit Group Video Diaries recruits wanted
The Video Diaries concept is based on filming people as they progress through the stages of quitting smoking. Past examples of this include the series focussing on Tash and Joe Tawhara, Stu Sutherland, Karen and Sean McLaughlin, and Roseanne Leota and Ieremia Tuivaiti. We are looking for people in the greater Wellington area who have a high motivation to quit. In times when budgeting matters are of high importance, we are interested in those who are looking to save money. If someone you know is interested, please ask them to request an information sheet and questionnaire from Caitlin at caitlin@gslnetwork.co.nz. Quit Group registrations to December 2008A total of 3542 clients were registered with Quit services in December. This includes 1828 Quitline callers, 1503 web clients and 211 Txt2Quit clients. It is worth noting that registrations traditionally fall at this time of year, however the total of 3542 compares to 2254 during the same period in 2007 – a 57 percent increase. This is mainly a result of a Christmas/New Year television advertising campaign, which has not been done in previous years. Around 19 percent of registered clients were Māori (676), 89 percent were New Zealand European/Other (3151) and 5.2 percent identified themselves as Pacific peoples (184). The highest proportion of clients was in the 20-24 age bracket (14.5 percent), followed by the 35-39 age group (13.1 percent).
Numbers of callers registered with the Quitline to December 2008 Smoking ban lists: USA and the world
Click here for American states listed alphabetically. Click here for a list by country.
Diploma in Health PromotionManukau Institute of Technology (MIT) is offering the Diploma in Health Promotion at the Otara Campus in Manukau on a part time basis over two years. The inaugural course starts 12 March 2009. The Diploma in Health Promotion is a 120 credit, Level Six programme that prepares students with knowledge and practical experience to enable them to work as a confident health promoter across diverse communities and settings. It has been developed by the Department of Nursing and Health Studies, Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) with the support of the Ministry of Health, as a means of developing the public health workforce. It primarily targets those who are working in the health promotion field, do not have a formal qualification, and are unable to enter or commit to degree level study. Scholarships via the Ministry of Health are currently being finalised. Further information on the scholarships and application forms will be provided to students on commencement of the course. At this point we know that first priority will be given to students currently working in the health promotion field, however they will not be restricted solely to this group. For successful applicants the scholarship will be paid after commencement of the course as the Ministry requirement is that students demonstrate good attendance and achievement. There are still some places available. Please contact Jenny Bratty: 09 9688000 x 8307, jenny.bratty@manukau.ac.nz. Job opportunity: Smokefree Advisor, Hutt ValleySmokefree Advisor Are you able to motivate others and develop successful programs? We are looking for an enthusiastic health advisor who can develop successful partnerships with primary health care providers and primary health organisations (PHOs) in the Hutt Valley DHB district. This new position will focus on the development of smoking cessation through the primary health care sector. Ideally, you will have experience in public health and primary health care, and be passionate about developing approaches that enable providers to support smokers to quit. You will work in conjunction with the DHB Smokefree Coordinator to implement the DHB tobacco control plan. This is a permanent full time position. Apply at www.healthyjobs.co.nz (vacancy ref: 2613) by 27 February 2009. THROUGH THE SMOKELike beating a second-hand smoked horse
According to the Casper Star-Tribune, the latest advertising campaign for the Wyoming Department of Health from Sukle Advertising & Design, Denver is causing quite the hubbub among lawmakers. A bill for a state-wide, smokefree Wyoming has been in the works for months, and now opponents are questioning the timing of the state-sponsored campaign that targets the dangers of second-hand smoke. Top Department of Health officials insist that the billboard campaign and an accompanying print advertising blitz are appropriate, and were not purposely timed to influence the vote. Some critics have accused the agency of strategically placing the billboards in locations likely to be viewed by lawmakers. The creative executions, including billboards, newspaper ads, gas station pump toppers and guerrilla efforts, feature a bright-green background and headlines that use well-known sayings about death, but replace the words "death" or "kill" with the words "second-hand smoke". SMOKEFREE SHORTSNew ZealandKiwi researcher gives backing to e-cigarettes
E-cigarettes are small steel tubes that carry a cartridge providing the smoker with a measured dose of nicotine. They even have a tip that glows red but gives off only a harmless mist. Murray Laugesen has done the only major international study and he endorses their use. He told The Dominion Post his peer-reviewed paper would be published in April but he feared authorities in New Zealand were "developing a hardening attitude toward them" and would outlaw their use. Dominion Post, 17 February 2009 Exhibition set to raise awareness about smoking Organisers of a photo exhibition in Invercargill showing the effects of smoking on people's lives are hoping the photos will help a campaign to ban cigarette displays. The Smoking Affects Lives exhibition co-organiser Janice Burton said the black and white photographs featured 20 Southlanders who had all been affected by smoking in some way. "We know that smoking affects everybody's lives really in one way or another," she said. Southland Times, 13 February 2009 Cigarettes sold to minors Seven Northland retailers have been caught selling cigarettes to 15-year-olds in a 30-shop sting organised by the Northland District Health Board's public health unit. Four of the shops caught breaching the Smoke-free Environments Act, which bans the sale of tobacco to minors, were in Whangarei, one in Kerikeri and two in Pahia. The maximum fine for selling it to minors is $2,000. Northern Advocate, 30 January 2009 Smoking, booze link to cancer a mystery to some Kiwis
The survey – Cancer Related Beliefs and Behaviour – interviewed more than 45,000 people in 39 countries, including New Zealand. Key results showed that most people who drank alcohol and smoked frequently, did not realise this increased their risk of getting cancer, International Union Against Cancer (UICC) President, Professor David Hill, said. In Australia and New Zealand more than 40 percent of people did not believe alcohol increased their risk of cancer, he said. Otago Daiily Times, 4 February 2009 Non-smoking stands a big hit with fans Warriors rugby league fans have given the thumbs-up to a two-year trial of smokefree seating areas at Mt Smart Stadium games. The Warriors franchise brought in the ban in March 2007 in the hope of showing young fans that smoking and sport do not mix. New Zealand Herald, 9 February 2009 InternationalCritics of link between smoking bans and fewer heart attacks similar to HIV-AIDS disbelievers: ASH Action on Smoking and Health (UK) has, in a published and peer-reviewed article, compared those who question the link between smoking bans and dramatic reductions in heart attacks with dissidents who deny the link between the HIV virus and AIDS. And, in a separate article published in another journal, a different set of anti-smoking advocates (Pascal Diethelm and Martin McKee) have compared those who question the link between passive smoking and heart disease/lung cancer with those who deny the Holocaust. Medical News Today, 9 February 2009 Plans to stop cigarette displays in Northern Ireland
The move, if approved by the Assembly, would also restrict access to cigarette vending machines for those under 18. "My goal is to protect children from smoking and I believe this is a strong opportunity to do just that," Mr McGimpsey said. "Smoking is life-threatening and we should do everything we can to reduce its prevalence." BBC News, 4 February 2009 Electronic cigarettes: A safe substitute? E-cigarettes may help smokers evade the ban, but do they also help them evade the health consequences of smoking or give the habit up altogether? In September 2008 the World Health Organization issued a statement warning smokers that there was no evidence to back up claims that e-cigarettes could help them quit. So what do we know about them and is there any evidence that inhaling the chemicals they contain may be harmful to your health? Could they genuinely help people to kick the habit? New Scientist, 11 February 2009 Bar workers who smoke also benefit from smoking ban The health of bar workers, who actively smoke cigarettes, significantly improves after the introduction of a smoking ban, reveals research published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The findings are based on 371 bar workers from 72 Scottish bars, whose symptoms and lung function were assessed before the implementation of the ban on smoking in enclosed public places, and then two and 12 months afterwards. Science Daily, 9 February 2009 Smokers would quit for pets' sakes
A survey of 3300 pet owners found 28 percent of those who smoked would try to quit when told about the effects of passive smoking on their pets. Other research has found exposure to smoke is linked with some cancers and other health problems in cats and dogs. BBC News, 10 February 2009 Australia could miss 2020 smoking target Australia will fail to meet its 2020 smoking target of 9 percent daily smokers unless efforts to curb tobacco use are dramatically increased, health authorities have been warned. University of Queensland research shows that while Australia's smoking rate has dropped from about 35 percent of the adult population in 1980 to now less than 20 percent, the decline would slow to only 14 percent by 2020. The Age, 4 February 2009 Smoking teenagers make depressed adults A groundbreaking new study by researchers in the US suggests that teenagers who smoke could be setting themselves up to become depressed adults. Florida State University Psychology Professor Carlos A Bolaños-Guzmán and colleagues said research has already established a strong link between tobacco consumption and mood disorders and, while some might say smokers use tobacco to manage their moods, there is also evidence that tobacco consumption induces negative moods. Medical News Today, 29 January 2009 Economic fears snuff out smoking bans in US
"This economy, it creates a little more sympathy for the business person. So when we say this is going to put us out of business, believe me, they're listening," said Mike Moser, Executive Director of the Wyoming State Liquor Association. In Colorado, lawmakers are considering easing the rules after they banned smoking in most bars, restaurants and casinos. Associated Press, 4 February 2009 Thirty lashes for smoking on plane A Sudanese man has been sentenced to 30 lashes for smoking on a domestic Saudi Arabian Airlines flight. The unnamed man had refused to put out his cigarette on the flight to the Red Sea port city of Jeddah from Qurayyat in northern Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Gazette said. News.com.au, 2 February 2009 Philip Morris International: Unshackled The tobacco company, Philip Morris International, has already signalled its initial plans to subvert the most important policies to reduce smoking and the death toll from tobacco-related disease (now at five million lives a year). The company has announced plans to inflict on the world an array of new products, packages and marketing efforts. These are designed to undermine smokefree workplace rules, defeat tobacco taxes, segment markets with specially flavoured products, offer flavoured cigarettes to appeal to youth and overcome marketing restrictions. Dissident Voice, 3 February 2009 Soaps criticised over smoking scenes
Anti-smoking campaigners Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation have claimed that heavy smokers like Weatherfield's Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) and Walford's Dot Cotton (June Brown) are sending out the wrong messages to viewers. ASH's Amanda Sandford has now called on both soaps to introduce lung cancer storylines in order to properly educate fans about the dangers of cigarettes. Digital Spy, 1 February 2009 Obama not smoking in the White House US President Barack Obama is having at least some success in his plan to quit smoking in office. Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper he hasn't had a cigarette on the White House grounds. But he acknowledged that quitting has been difficult. Associated Press, 3 February 2009 Adverts target pregnant women who smoke Pregnant women who find it tough to stop smoking will be targeted in a new British government campaign. The ad campaign from NHS Smokefree will highlight how every smoked cigarette restricts essential oxygen to the baby. A baby's heart has to beat harder every time a pregnant woman smokes, it will show. Around one in five pregnant women in England smoke during their pregnancy, equal to about 100,000 women at any one time. Morning Star, 3 February 2009 New website encourages girls to live smokefree
Funded by Pfizer Inc. through an unrestricted educational grant, NoSmokingRoom.org is designed to empower young girls to say "no" to smoking and to encourage those who are smoking to quit. The Examiner, 9 February 2009 Tokyo police to try smoking ban for interrogations Offering suspects a cigarette during police questioning may become a thing of the past if a Tokyo police experiment with a ban on smoking in interrogation rooms works out. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police will implement the ban on a trial basis from mid-February due to health concerns about second-hand smoke as well as worries that offering cigarettes from a police officer's own pack may be seen as doing the suspect a favour. Reuters UK, 2 February 2009 Social acceptance "more important than health" to teens Teenagers think smoking plays an important role in being accepted by their peers and that being socially accepted is more important than their health, according to a new report. The Voice of Young People – A Report on Teenagers' Attitudes to Smoking incorporates the results of qualitative research conducted with Irish teenagers aged 16-18 years in relation to their smoking habits and attitudes to health, smoking and smoking cessation. Irish Medical Times, 3 February 2009 Ban smoking in all prisons: AMA
Greenough Regional Prison is the only jail in the state which has a ban on prisoners smoking indoors or in their cells. Last year the Department of Corrective Services committed to a ban on all smoking inside prisons by mid 2009. ABC News, 11 February 2009 Jury finds against tobacco company in smoker death A jury has decided that a long-time chain-smoker's death from lung cancer was caused by nicotine addiction, a potentially costly loss for tobacco giant Philip Morris and an important test case for thousands of similar Florida lawsuits. Associated Press, 11 February 2009 Bribes help workers quit A study of 878 General Electric workers at 85 different facilities around the United States found that people were three times more likely to stay off cigarettes for at least six months if they were rewarded with up to $US750 ($NZ1459). Reuters, 13 February 2009 MILESTONESLook who has had a birthday recently... Cindy Crampton-Cairns! QUOTABLE QUOTES"There's no question that smokefree has been positive... It's far more inviting, and for people with families, they are conscious of the need for a smokefree environment." Vodafone Warriors Ambassador, Peter Leitch, the 'Mad Butcher', "In just the last few years, they've increased the amount of nicotine in the average cigarette by 11.6 percent to make them even more addictive. Recently, we learned that tobacco companies have been adding an ammonia-based compound to cigarettes for years to increase absorption of nicotine. It's basically the same principle used in crack cocaine." Closing argument of lawyer Alan Shore in Boston Legal, |
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Thousands of smokers are importing Chinese-made battery-powered "e-cigarettes", which are banned from sale despite a Kiwi researcher winning international attention for supporting them.
Some New Zealanders who drink and smoke a lot do not realise they are increasing their chance of getting cancer, a global survey has found.
The British Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, has announced plans to remove cigarette displays in shops in Northern Ireland.
Smokers are more likely to
stop smoking to safeguard their pet's health than their own, US researchers say.
As recently as last year, many states and major cities in the United States seemed ready to adopt complete indoor smoking bans. But the movement to kick all smokers outdoors has stalled as the recession worsens and lawmakers fear hurting business at bars, restaurants and casinos.
Coronation Street and
EastEnders have been criticised for failing to show the consequences of smoking.
A new website created to foster smoking prevention for young girls has been launched through the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (New Hampshire, US) and Dartmouth Medical School. The online education site was created by Dartmouth paediatrician, Henry Bernstein, to help prevent smoking in young girls 8-11 years old.
The West Australian branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) wants the state government to speed up the introduction of a smoking ban in prisons.