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| Issue 117 | 10 June 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
I really admire the diplomatic skills of Dr Peter Martin, Medical Advisor for the Quit Group. In response to the announcement from Auckland University's Professor Young (and colleagues) of a gene-based test to determine a smoker's chances of contracting lung cancer, he said the technology was, "an extremely interesting scientific breakthrough with significant applications". But he went on to warn that its purpose was not to identify smokers who could "happily go on smoking". My initial reaction was far less charitable. This is what I would have said. "The fact is there is no such thing as low-risk smoking. Every single cigarette does you damage; end of story. The test tells you nothing about increased risk of heart disease, emphysema, strokes or blindness, and your risk of lung cancer from smoking is still much greater than that of a non-smoker no matter how you score." On hearing about this development, another of my colleagues (who shall remain nameless), went on to say, "What a waste of money! Why on earth would you advocate this to GPs when you can't even get them to do ABC,1 which is cheaper, easier and has a greater health benefit? This only exists to make money for the company behind it." Touché! The only benefactor from this announcement (apart from the developing company which stands to make a lot of money) is the tobacco industry. It will claim a new respectability and encourage 'customers' to have the test. The industry might even sense an opportunity here to buy shares (in the developing company) to make a bit more money out of the misery their product causes. In case you were in any doubt, let me state plainly I am not a fan of this development at all. Doctors should be more concerned about screening their patients for smoking behaviour, and offering quitting advice to those who do smoke. A doctor actively encouraging his or her patients to quit will do more to help lower lung cancer rates than helping people determine how 'safe' their smoking might be. Finally, by now you should all have received the new printed copy of the Tobacco Free-Tupeka Kore Directory (in a red cover this year). If not, send me a message and I will get one out to you. Have a great fortnight. Mark Peck Director ______________________________ IN THIS ISSUE:
Call for tax rise on roll-your-owns
Speaking at the Māori Tobacco Intelligence Summit in Wellington, the Māori Party co-leader also proposed bans on the placement of tobacco products near tills and on duty-free tobacco; and a review of quit-smoking programmes. About 50 percent of Kiwi smokers use roll-your-own tobacco, and Ms Turia said she was "unconvinced" targeted programmes were reducing smoking rates. "I want to know whether cessation advice and high-quality cessation support services across the health sector are actually having direct outcomes in reducing smoking rates. My deep-held suspicion is that the more effective approach would be to reduce tobacco supply in the first place." Ms Turia favoured a tobacco tax increase as loose-leaf tobacco was more likely be smoked by those aged 15 to 17. Roll-your-own tobacco use among New Zealand smokers was the highest in the world, she said. Discounted cigarette advertising disgraceful, says CoalitionSmokefree Coalition media release The Smokefree Coalition says stores should be investigated for selling heavily discounted cigarettes and may be in breach of the Smoke-free Environments Act. Director Mark Peck said it was disgraceful that some stores in Timaru have lowered the price of cigarettes by as much as a dollar a pack, and were advertising the cheaper prices with signs. "Nobody with any understanding has any illusions about whether or not this dangerous product will kill half its users. That's why cigarettes aren't supposed to be cheap. The more expensive they are the less likely it is that people will smoke. It's also why advertising them with anything bigger than a business card sized label is illegal. "Cigarette promotion is clearly against the law." Mr Peck said the Coalition has referred the promotion to the Ministry of Health and the Regional Public Health Unit in Timaru and asked for a full investigation. He said he would also encourage the Ministry to investigate whether the tobacco industry is involved. "If this happens with impunity in Timaru, rest assured we'll see more of it in other parts of the country. That's why we're encouraging the Ministry to prosecute to the full extent any breach of the law that has occurred." Research project – Smoking and pregnant womenThe Health Sponsorship Council (HSC) is undertaking a three-phase research project to inform the development of a communication initiative aimed at increasing and supporting quit attempts during pregnancy. The aim of the research is to establish messages that may motivate women of child-bearing age and women who are pregnant who smoke, in particular Māori and Pacific Island women, to make a quit attempt, and then to explore ways to best communicate these messages. The first phase is qualitative audience research and will involve women from all ethnic groups across different age groups, in particular Māori and Pacific women, given their high prevalence of smoking at child bearing age (defined between 15-39 years). We also need to recruit pregnant women across the three trimesters, as each stage has unique motivators and barriers, and also women having their first, second and third pregnancy. Motivation to quit is highest for women having their first child. HSC is seeking your help to recruit women who fit the above target groups. We would be looking at beginning recruitment at the end of June and conducting the interviews in July and August. The field work will be conducted by established and experienced researchers who will follow ethical and cultural best practice. If you are able to assist us with recruitment or have any further questions about the research, please contact Ingrid van Aalst, Senior Researcher: ingridv@hsc.org.nz or 04 472 5777. Tobacco Trends 2008Tobacco Trends 2008, a brief update of tobacco use in New Zealand in 2008, has now been released. It provides an overview of current smoking and tobacco consumption among New Zealanders over time, and presents some data from the 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey (NZTUS 2008), including current smoking by age, ethnic group and neighbourhood deprivation, and smoking in youth aged 15 to 19 years. Online data tables include NZTUS 2008 data on what products people smoke, where they purchase them and why they smoke roll-your-own cigarettes. There is also further information on smoking status and frequency, youth smoking behaviour and second-hand smoke exposure. Where possible comparison data have been provided from the NZTUS 2006 and 2006/07 New Zealand Health Surveys. Tobacco Trends 2008 is available at the following websites: 'Give a Quit' campaign'Give a Quit' is a new campaign by ASH.
'Give a Quit' greeting cards are a non-confrontational way non-smokers can send friends and family who smoke a personalised quit message, along with a month's worth of NRT. Quit Cards are redeemable at their local pharmacy for lozenges, gum or patches, and they also get a $5.00 pharmacy voucher to pay for the prescription cost of the NRT. If you send a 'Give a Quit' card to a friend or family member, all they have to do is go to the pharmacist, pick up the NRT and use it! Their quit attempt won't cost them a cent, thanks to you! You can support this campaign by purchasing a 'Give a Quit' card from participating outlets and posting it off to a smoker you care about! HOW TOBACCO SHIFTS BLAME TO THE CONSUMER: RESEARCH
The five-year project, led by Northeastern University (Boston) law professor and leading public health advocate Richard Daynard, will analyse legal and regulatory forums, advertising, public relations efforts and the news media. "Our goal is to examine how the tobacco industry has used personal responsibility rhetoric to influence courts, legislatures, regulatory agencies and public opinion, and to see to what extent the food and beverage industries have made use of similar strategies," said Daynard. "If the burden for addressing the harm is left with the consumer rather than the manufacturer, the manufacturer benefits – often at the expense of public health," he added. Personal responsibility rhetoric affects the outcome of consumer lawsuits and is a significant hurdle to the implementation of public health regulations and statutes, such as marketing restrictions, access to the courts, and clean indoor-air laws. "News transmitting judicial, regulatory, and legislative information and decisions to the public sets the agenda and frames the debate for the public and policy. More importantly, the news media accord legitimacy and credibility to the topics they cover, thus potentially influencing public opinion and legal proceedings," said Daynard. For more information on Daynard's research and the Public Health Advocacy Institute, please visit: www.northeastern.edu/law/academics/faculty/directory/daynard.html. Northeastern News, 28 May 2009 tobacco control research, advocacy and communications workshops
ASH is offering three workshops on key tobacco control advocacy skills. Workshop 1, Research Reports, is run by Dr Janine Paynter, author of reports (for example the Year 10 Survey) which are widely used to support practice and to promote change. Participants will learn how to interpret a tobacco control research report and use it for advocacy and in practice. Workshop 2, Advocacy and Campaign Skills, is run by Ben Youdan and Grant Hocking. As Director of ASH and former CEO for UK No Smoking Day, Ben shares the latest advocacy and campaign techniques. Grant Hocking has worked at ASH for six years and has successfully designed and implemented innovative campaigns including providing free nicotine lozenges to smokers. Participants will enhance their evidence-based campaign and advocacy skills. Workshop 3 is run by Michael Colhoun. Michael uses his communications background to generate and react to stories in unpaid media. Participants will learn how to work with all forms of media including identifying a media target, gaining confidence in engaging with the target and conveying a convincing message.
Workshops are free. Each workshop is independent but participants will be able to integrate their new skills by attending more than one. They are limited to 20 participants per workshop. Please e-mail Grace Wong with any questions. Public health law and public health ethics courseThis year the University of Otago, Wellington, Department of Public Health, is offering a special topic: "Public health law and public health ethics" (PUBH 707) as a postgraduate paper in public health. The course will run in the second semester of 2009: to start 13 July and finish 28 September. Teaching days: Monday from 9.00am-3.00pm Venue: Dept of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington Campus, Wellington Hospital Newtown Overview of objectives and content This course will equip participants with an understanding of the framework and scope of public health law in New Zealand, as well as concepts of public health ethics, including Māori ethical perspectives. Teaching of this subject in 2009 will be timely given progress made on the Public Health Bill (representing the first major overhaul of public health legislation in New Zealand for half a century). This Bill is in its final parliamentary stages. Particular topics will include the law and ethics relating to communicable disease; screening; environmental health; public health emergencies; tobacco, food and nutrition; illicit drugs; radiation safety and alcohol. Central themes will include the concept of risk in public health law and the impact of international law. Who will be interested in this course? This course will be of interest to all health workers, public health practitioners and those interested in public health policy and research. The course will also be of interest to some policy staff of the Ministry of Health, employees of local authorities, as well as those lawyers keen on extending their skills in the health sector. Student assessment: Assessment will be fully internal, based on assignments and seminars. For more information, contact Louise Delany: louise.delany@otago.ac.nz. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference 2009 – abstracts reminder
This is a reminder that abstract submissions for the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference 2009 close on 19 June. Abstracts can be submitted in any area of tobacco control for either poster or oral formats. For abstract submissions criteria, programme information and early bird registration please visit www.oceaniaTC2009.org. THROUGH THE SMOKEMovie Smoking Scorecard
A voluntary arm of the American Medical Association has unveiled a campaign intended to publicly shame movie studios for depicting images of smoking in their mass-appeal movies. "Which Movie Studios Will Cause the Most Youth to Start Smoking This Summer?" is the name of the effort. Components include a Facebook scorecard, moviesmokingscorecard.com, tallying the number of tobacco images depicted in movies rated G, PG and PG-13. The studio found to be the biggest offender will be named on billboards in September. The American Medical Association Alliance, working with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the California Youth Advocacy Network, will also operate the public Facebook page. The site already includes a video from a group of teenagers complaining about images of smoking in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Read the New York Times article here, 27 May 2009. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandGene test for lung cancer Smokers can now take a test to predict their risk of getting lung cancer, using world-first technology developed by Kiwi researchers. The gene-based mouth swab, which will cost $275, was developed from research carried out by Associate Professor Robert Young and Auckland University colleagues. But smokers who find themselves at the lower end of the risk scale have been warned they should not see it as an excuse "to happily go on smoking". Dominion Post, 9 June 2009 Coffin packs a serious message
The full-sized coffin, made out of about 400 cigarette packets, has been made by Christeena MacDonald, a Diploma in Visual Art and Design Level 5 student. The idea for the coffin has come from Ms MacDonald's own experiences. Her father died of cancer earlier this year and several of his family members have also died of lung cancer. She said smoking was something her father had always enjoyed but didn't make the connection of what it was doing to his health. Timaru Herald, 30 May 2009 Smokers meet face of the future Wrinkled, leathery skin, stained teeth, greasy hair, bad breath. The health effects of smoking are more than skin deep, but as the Cancer Society's Health Promoter Corinne Payne says, the superficial aspects of smoking are hardly a recipe for being attractive and confident. Marlborough Express, 1 June 2009 Fears go up in smoke
Public health was the driver behind the smoking ban that came into effect on 10 December, 2004. Before it came into force, the Health Ministry estimated 350 New Zealanders were dying from second-hand smoke each year, while thousands more Kiwis spent their working lives surrounded by a tobacco fug. Dominion Post, 6 June 2009 Government reviews funding for stop smoking campaigns The government is reviewing the $37 million it spends on stop smoking campaigns, saying they don't seem to be working. In the past year, both the number of new smokers and the level of tobacco consumption have increased. The Government is directing some of the blame at the cessation services. That means the $37 million the government pumps into the services is now under review. It also means uncertain times ahead for support networks like the Quitline. TV3 News, 29 May 2009 InternationalSimpsons in smoking scandal
One of the most popular television shows in history contains a "large number" of tobacco-related scenes, say researchers who watched 400 episodes of the cartoon for science. "We recorded 795 instances of smoking or references to smoking," says Dr Guy Eslick, a fellow of the International Union Against Cancer and Honorary Associate of the University of Sydney's School of Public Health. Stuff, 1 June 2009 Evidence backs web- and computer-based stop smoking programmes Available evidence supports the use of online or other computer-based smoking cessation programmes for helping adults quit smoking, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies appearing in the 25 May issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Newswise, 25 May 2009 Controversy swirls around e-cigarettes Federal regulators and anti-smoking groups are taking steps that could snuff out electronic cigarettes, the smokeless nicotine products embraced by a growing number of people trying to kick their addiction or avoid bans on smoking in public. Wall Street Journal, 2 June 2009 Taking the e-cigarette out for a spin
An e-cigarette was put into action, releasing some pretty realistic-looking smoke, on a subway car waiting at the end of the V line at Second Avenue in Manhattan. Four blonde women, presumably European tourists by the sound of their accents, glared and moved to the next subway car. Another person stepped into the car, saw the puffing, and turned right back out. Such hostility. New York Times, 2 June 2009 Smokers cost businesses £2.1bn a year due to 'fag breaks' and sickness A British report has found that 1.77 extra sick days a year are taken by each smoker at a cost of £1.1billion to firms. And smoking breaks during the working day were found to be just as costly, amounting to almost £1billion. Daily Mail, 5 June 2009 WHO calls for enforceable policies to restrict smoking in movies Backed by evidence that smoking in movies causes youths to want to light up, the World Health Organization is calling upon countries to enact enforceable policies that would severely restrict such depictions. World Health Organization, 1 June 2009 As movies portray fewer smokers, are fewer real-life teens lighting up?
While the study can't prove that one is related to the other, the findings would seem to support what critics have long said: smoking by glamorous (or even not-so-glamorous) people on the silver screen is like free advertising for cigarettes. Health.com, 2 June 2009 MILESTONESLook who's had a birthday recently: Judy Li, Robyn Whittaker, Josh Galuszka, Mandy Murphy, Richard Edwards, Ingrid Minett, Mark Wallace-Bell and Oliver Wilson! QUOTABLE QUOTES"If there is one thing we can be sure of it's that somewhere right this moment, a Māori whānau is mourning the loss of a loved one to the tobacco industry." Shane Kawenata Bradbrook |
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A tax rise on roll-your-own cigarettes is needed to combat youth smoking rates, Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia says.
A $US2.7m grant from the National Cancer Institute will fund research on how the tobacco, fast-food and sweetened-beverage industries use and exploit the concept of personal responsibility and choice, and the resulting effect on public health.
Up-to-date skills to enhance advocacy for personal, community and societal change are invaluable to
the tobacco control workforce. The ability to access, read and interpret the
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Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read
the story in full.
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Intrigued by debates over the unregulated electronic cigarette, we decided to take an e-cigarette out for a spin in Bloomberg's anti-smoking New York City.
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