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From the Director

I'm increasingly impressed with my own good timing. I've come into this role just as an Oceania Tobacco Control Conference allowed me the opportunity to meet some of tobacco control's heavyweights; just as the Māori Affairs Select Committee announced an inquiry into the tobacco industry's impact on Māori; and, of course, right as we are entering the silly season. This means when I phone up and introduce myself I'm just in time to get invited to Christmas functions. Hooray!

Recently, the Asthma Foundation hosted its Supreme Achievers Award function, celebrating individuals who have achieved despite having a respiratory illness. The Asthma Foundation is also involved in the Retailers Awards that celebrate local retailers brave and resolute enough to voluntarily take tobacco displays out of their stores. Well done to the Asthma Foundation for celebrating great people from New Zealand's local communities, and, this Christmas, make sure you toast those retail pioneers of a tobacco-free New Zealand, living our vision already on the ground. Here's to finding more and more of them in the New Year.

I am very pleased to announce invitations are now being sent for a Smokefree Coalition Submissions Seminar to be held in Auckland on 8 December, and in Wellington on 14 December. The seminar is aimed towards helping us coordinate our voices as we work through the submissions toolkit, to strengthen our recommendations to the Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry. It is also a means for Coalition members to network and form strategic partnerships during a perfect time of the year. If you are interested in receiving an invitation to this seminar, please be in touch; the more the merrier!

The Smokefree Coalition website now has a job vacancy page. If you are looking for an online vehicle for listing a tobacco-related job vacancy, please send your information to me to add to the page. The vacancy link will be right on the website's home page.

We've also added a page at which to archive posters and other valuable tobacco control resources arising from the recent Oceania Tobacco Control Conference. All those proud presenters, poster makers and report-writers are welcome to email me their resources if they would like them to be included. See Oceania Conference 09 resources.

Take care,

Prudence Stone, Director,
Smokefree Coalition

IN THIS ISSUE:

• 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey: Quitting Results
• Jim Mora panel discussion, 29 October
• Recent research
• Men's health challenge
• Young leader scholarship
• TUHANZ: Applying the Treaty to our practice
• Ministry of Health – Tobacco Control Team update
• No Smoking Day poem
• Smokefree shorts
• Quotable quotes

2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey: Quitting Results

The 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey report, published by the Ministry of Health this month, presents the quitting results of 15- to 64-year-olds from the 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey (NZTUS). It includes, where possible, comparisons with the 2006 NZTUS.

The report provides valuable information to understand tobacco use and the impact of tobacco control interventions upon New Zealanders. It will help us better understand New Zealand smokers and their thoughts about quitting.

Importantly, the report confirms the findings from the previous survey that the vast majority of smokers would not smoke if they had their time again and that many smokers want to quit and are actively trying to do so. The report also outlines clearly the differences between sub-population groups, for example, young people and Māori. It also provides updated information about the impact of tobacco control interventions such as graphic warnings.

Quitting attempts

In 2008:

• an estimated19,600 New Zealanders had quit smoking in the previous 612 months
• three out of five current smokers had tried to quit smoking in the past five years
• a third of smokers had quit for at least 24 hours in the past 12 months
• a fifth had successfully quit for a week before starting to smoke again
• four out of five current smokers said that they would not smoke if they had their life over again
• three-quarters of smokers who had tried to quit in the past 12 months said one of the reasons was for their own health
• a third of smokers had tried to quit because of the cost of smoking.

Download the report here.

Jim Mora Panel Discussion, 29 October

National Radio's Afternoons with Jim Mora conducted a panel discussion around Western Bay of Plenty Council's decision to ban smoking outdoors.

Jim Mora introduced the discussion by saying, "The decision covers 30 beaches including the popular holiday ones. Signs will be erected that smokers have got to stub out on playgrounds, parks, reserves and land around public halls. Life won't fun anymore."

He went on to describe the decision as unusual but, as Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Ross Patterson pointed out, it's actually not that unusual.

"Western Bay of Plenty is in the 23rd New Zealand council to become involved in smokefree outdoor places initiatives, and the third to ban smoking on beaches," he said.

He went on to make a good defence of the policy, pointing out that it's a council initiative working alongside health providers within the Western Bay of Plenty area.

"It is an educational smokefree public places policy that is not regulative, and motivated by people's complaints about second-hand smoke."

Some positive and supportive comments are given by Māori Television presenter Claudia Hauwiki who says the move will be good for Māori.

"Māori have the highest incidences of smoking-related illnesses so this is a very pragmatic step to stamping it out amongst our community... They may not be able to police it, but at least it's a start," she said.

To Jim's comment that people smoking outdoors may not be any of the council's business, she replied, "Actually it is everybody's business because those illnesses impact us directly in our pockets as tax payers, where we bear the brunt in terms of health."

Interestingly, the 'example to children' and 'help for quitters' arguments were largely missing.

Listen to the discussion at www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/aft/2009/10/29/the_panel_part_1. The smoking topic comes up about 5:25 into the audio.

Recent research

Use of smokeless tobacco and risk of myocardial infarction and stroke:
Systematic review with meta-analysis

This meta-analysis detected an association between use of smokeless tobacco products and risk of fatal stroke and fatal myocardial infarction (MI). Although the magnitude of the excess risk, particularly for fatal MI, was small, the authors of the investigation believed that the consistency of the results among studies and their robustness for study design and quality added to their credibility.

If the association is real, its public health and clinical implications might be substantial. Future research should aim to clarify the mechanisms of the effect of smokeless tobacco products on deaths from cardiovascular disease and to elucidate whether a similar effect is present for non-fatal MI and non-fatal stroke.

British Medical Journal

Stigma, or sort of cool; Young adults' accounts of smoking and identity

The aim of this article is to explore young adult smokers' constructions of identity, as revealed in accounts of their smoking experiences. A qualitative study was conducted in which interviews were held with 21 male and female smokers aged 18-23.

The data were analysed based on principles from a social constructivist approach to grounded theory, acknowledging the role of language and discourse in the construction of reality.

Three key identities were read out of the interviewees' accounts:

1. the performative smoker, a construction related mainly to smoking initiation
2. the defensive smoker
3. the negotiating smoker.

The smoker identities constructed by young adult smokers in this study appear to be characterised by considerable contradiction: a 'split vision' between classical positive meanings of smoking as a symbol of freedom, courage and individuality together with conflicting yet parallel meanings positioned by a strong discourse of smoking as stigmatised, immoral and undistinguished.

European Journal of Cultural Studies

Adolescents' perceptions of cigarette brand image: Does plain packaging make a difference?

When brand elements such as colour, branded fonts and imagery were progressively removed from cigarette packs, Australian adolescents perceived packs to be less appealing, rated attributes of a typical smoker of the pack less positively, and had more negative expectations of cigarette taste. Pack appeal was reduced even further when the size of the pictorial health warning on the most plain pack was increased from 30 percent to 80 percent of the pack face, with this effect apparent among susceptible non-smokers, experimenters, and established smokers.

Conclusions: Removing as much brand information from cigarette packs as possible is likely to reduce positive cigarette brand image associations among adolescents. By additionally increasing the size of pictorial health warnings, positive pack perceptions of those who are at greater risk of becoming regular addicted adult smokers are most likely to be reduced.

Journal of Adolescent Health

Low birth weight and preterm birth rates one year before and after the Irish workplace smoking ban

A recent study in low birth weight and preterm birth rates one year before and after the Irish workplace smoking ban, introduced in March 2004, found there was a 25 percent decreased risk of preterm births, a 43 percent increased risk of low birth weight (LBW), and a 12 percent fall in maternal smoking rates (from 23.4 to 20.6 percent) in 2005 relative to 2003.

The study's conclusions are significant: declines in preterm births and in maternal smoking rates after the smoking ban are welcome signs. However, the increased LBW birth risks might reflect a secular trend, as observed in many industrialised nations, and merits further investigations.

International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Men's Health Challenge

Judy Dickie, Coordinator,
Cancer Society, Kapiti

"Movember" is here. The key message for men is: "It doesn't hurt to check!"

The key question for all men is: How would your family cope if you suddenly developed a serious health condition?

Here is the Quick Cancer Checklist for men. Answer these questions and find out about your health risk factors.

• Are you aged 50 years or over?
• Are you a smoker?
• Are you overweight?
• Do you exercise, on average less then 30 minutes most days?
• Do you have more than three alcoholic drinks a day?
• Do you have high blood pressure?
• Do you have fair skin, moles or dark freckles?
• Do you get depressed?
• Do you, or a close family member have a history of cancer?

If you answered 'Yes' or 'don't know' for two or more of these questions, talk to your health professional. You can also visit www.movember.com to see how YOU can celebrate Movember and raise funds for prostate cancer.

Paekakariki Xpressed, October 2009

The Cancer Society brochure Men's Health Challenge – Te Matataki Hauora Tane is available at all Cancer Society offices.

Young Leader Scholarship

The Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health (APACT) 2010 will offer a limited number of scholarships for young leaders under the age of 45. The young leader scholarship recognises those who have made a significant contribution to tobacco control.

All young leaders in the APACT region who are actively engaged in tobacco control are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Award recipients will receive a certificate, complimentary registration to APACT 2010, and US$1,000 to assist with travel and lodging expenses. Individuals from low or middle income countries will be given special consideration. Five scholarships will be offered.

The deadline for young leader scholarship applications is 5 March 2010. Applicants will be notified of success or otherwise via email by May 2010.

Young leader scholarship eligibility:

• aged under 45 years as of the first day of APACT 2010 (i.e. 6 October 2010)
• at least three years of work in tobacco control or demonstrated excellence in a similar area.

Find out more.

TUHANZ: Applying the Treaty to our Practice

With Adrian Te Patu

A practical two-day workshop for health promoters

Location: Wellington (8.30am-4.30pm each day)
Dates: November 26 and 27
Venue: TBA

About this workshop

The workshop will focus on using the TUHANZ framework to assist health promoters to apply Treaty-based thinking and planning to their health promotion practice.

The workshop is a practical, hands-on course, which explains how the articles of the Treaty can be applied to health promotion planning. Participants will be expected to determine and define Treaty-based health promotion activities in line with their health promotion contracts and responsibilities.

By the end of this workshop, participants should be have a clear understanding of Treaty articles and how they apply to health promotion, and a workable understanding of TUHANZ as a framework from which to plan Treaty based health promotion practice.

Find out more and download a registration form at www.hauora.co.nz/page.php?15#1.

No Smoking Day poem

by Prudence Stone

I was warmly invited by Mel Maniopoto
– and I still can't believe I didn't take a photo –
To drive out to Whanganui on No Smoking Day.
The life coaches from Aukati Kai Paipa
Were taking the chance to serve supper
And give their successful quitters something to celebrate.

Helium balloons were released from the river
A comprehensive drive for cessation delivered
Auahi Kore Network forces were beautifully combined.
Hon Tariana Turia sent her support in absence
Reiterating "one day can make a real difference"
And smokers everywhere had tobacco freedom on their minds.

I hear No Smoking Day is successful also
Up in Northland, perhaps even more so
I've been reading a media frenzy of events planned up there.
Bridget Rowse, a smokefree coordinator,
Has a real sense of mission about her
It's truly impressive the amount of rallying done on this one day of the year.

Some say it's a good day to start a moustache
Some say it's the day the silly season really starts
But I think as more townships pop their heads up looking north and norther,
November the 1st might become for the nation
The day to start celebrating its tobacco liberation
Township by township history asks who will step up to be its author.

Well done DHBs, PHOs, cessation providers,
Smokefree nurses, AKP coaches and Quitliners,
Every day more smokers come for you desperate to be free.
Support to beat their addictions
Prevent and diminish related afflictions
It's you working with quitters that's making real history.

SMOKEFREE SHORTS

Where possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the story in full.

New Zealand

Car phone danger up in smoke compared with smoking a fag

A nationwide ban on using cell phones while driving came into effect on 1 November, but according to Ministry of Transport figures, it is far from the biggest distraction resulting in accidents.

Transport Minister Stephen Joyce said the rule had been brought into target mobile phones which he said were a "significant and worsening type of distraction amongst New Zealand drivers."

But distraction by cell phones contributed to 116 crashes in 2008, and no fatalities; far less than distractions caused by cigarettes. Drivers being distracted by cigarette, radio or glove box caused 223 crashes and six fatalities last year.

Sunday News, 1 November 2009

Life just getting tougher for smokers

Life is about to get a whole lot tougher for smokers who use parks and sports fields in the Ashburton District.

The Ashburton District Council plans to join the growing number of districts around New Zealand where a smoking ban is imposed in most, if not all of its outdoor spaces.

Ashburton Guardian, 31 October 2009

No to issuing Quit Cards

Pharmacists cannot register to be Quit Card providers due to a perceived conflict of interest in being both prescriber and supplier. However, an increasing number of non-healthcare workers are becoming registered Quit Card providers.

And, says The Quit Group, that is because NRT has become more accessible now it is subsidised by Pharmac.

Pharmacy Today, October 2009

Smokefree signs for Palmerston North parks

Smokefree messages are coming to Palmerston North playgrounds and sports fields as the city finally joins its neighbours in trying to stub out smokers lighting up near children.

The city council's Community Wellbeing Committee last night committed $15,000 for signage, though the no-smoking policy would not be enforced.

Manawatu Standard, 10 November 2009

International

Alcohol, cigarettes more harmful than LSD: scientist

Alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous than illegal drugs such as cannabis, LSD and ecstasy, the Government's top drugs advisor said Thursday.

Professor David Nutt of Imperial College London called for a new system of classifying drugs to enable the public to better understand the relative harm of legal and illegal substances.

Tobacco would come ninth on the list and cannabis, LSD and ecstasy "while harmful, are ranked lower at 11, 14 and 18 respectively". The ranking is based on physical harm, dependence and social harm.

Yahoo, 29 October 2009

Japan's Health Ministry considers hiking tobacco tax by 10 yen per cigarette

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has asked the Government's tax panel to increase the tobacco tax by 10 yen per cigarette to raise funds to finance its social security measures, government sources said. The hike would push up the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes from 300 to 500 yen.

Japan Today, 30 October 2009

10 smokers' paradises: A guide for globe-trotters

With so many places around the world instituting smoking regulations, increasing taxes and, quite literally, kicking smokers to the curb, it's getting harder to find cigarette-friendly vacation spots.

Here's a list of countries with the most prevalent tobacco use among people aged 15 or older, based on 2005 data from the World Health Organization.

Los Angeles Times, 1 November 2009

Ex-tobacco insider says companies target blacks

A former tobacco industry executive says cigarette companies have targeted black people in America.

LaTanisha Wright began working for the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp, based in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2001. She resigned after the company merged with RJ Reynolds Tobacco in July 2004 to form Reynolds American.

"My goal is to educate people in churches, schools and community centres, as well as public health officials," Wright said.

She said her experience in the tobacco industry makes her better able to help people now.

Charleston Gazette, 30 October 2009

Smoking predicts suicidality in BD patients

Current cigarette smoking is a predictor for current and 9-month suicidal ideation and behaviour in bipolar disorder (BD) patients, suggest US study results.

Studies have shown that BD patients are four times as likely to have nicotine dependence than the general population. Furthermore, cigarette smoking in BD individuals has been associated with suicidal behaviour, although the precise relationship between the two remains unclear.

Medwire News, 28 October 2009

Smoking linked to chronic lower back pain

Smokers can add another health concern to their list as research shows daily tobacco use can lead to a bad back.

A major Canadian study has identified a higher rate of chronic lower back pain among people who smoke every day, particularly the young.

Associated Press, 24 October 2009

Purchase of tobacco for under-18s outlawed

Adults in Scotland who buy cigarettes for under-age young people could soon face prosecution, bringing the law on the sale of tobacco products in the country into line with that on alcohol.

The Scottish Government has revealed it is to insert a new clause into the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill, currently going through Parliament, which would outlaw the use of what is known as 'proxy purchasing'.

Times Online, 3 November 2009

Smoking in pregnancy linked to brain changes and teenage drug experimentation

Teenagers whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to experiment with drugs, according to a new study.

The research, carried out by scientists at the University of Nottingham, found children exposed to cigarette smoke in the womb were more likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis.

AOL Health, 3 November 2009

Nicotine patch plus lozenge appears best for smoking cessation

In a comparison of five different smoking cessation medications, a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge appears most effective at helping smokers quit, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

"Many smokers have successfully quit using a variety of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, yet there is little direct evidence on the relative efficacies of these different pharmacotherapies," the authors write as background information in the article.

Eurekalert, 2 November 2009

Parents still smoking around children

Almost half of Victoria's (Australia) cigarette smokers still light up around children, despite an increase over the last decade in the number of homes that enforce a no smoking policy.

New research released by the Cancer Council Victoria found significant improvement in the efforts of parents to keep tobacco smoke away from their kids.

This story includes video about Quit Victoria's new campaign to target parents who smoke in front of their children.

The Age, 27 October 2009

Even a few cigarettes a day reduces artery health in young adults

A new study from Canada suggests that even light smoking in otherwise healthy young people damages the arteries, reducing their bodies' ability to deal with physical stress such as exercise, running to catch a bus or climbing stairs.

The study was led by Dr Stella Daskalopoulou, an internal medicine and vascular medicine specialist at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Medical News Today, 27 October 2009

Queensland bans smoking in cars carrying kids

Queensland motorists who smoke while children are in their cars will be fined from next year.

From 1 January Queensland police will enforce a $200 on-the-spot fine to drivers who smoke with children under 16 in their cars.

The Age, 30 October 2009

Pictorial warnings on cigarette packs watered down

Pictorial warnings on cigarette packets recently introduced by the Indian Government are about to be phased out, reports say. It is a clear attempt to safeguard the interests of the people involved in the tobacco industry and to keep the Government's crucial vote bank intact.

Initially, there were some gruesome pictures that depicted the worse possible effects of tobacco on the human body. These pictures were first notified by the Health Ministry in July 2006 as pictorial warnings for cigarette and gutka packets. But these pictures were shot down by the Group of Ministers as 'objectionable'.

This story includes video.

IBN Live, 2 November 2009

Nicotine vaccine

An anti-nicotine vaccine is being supported through the final stages of research by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the US. The vaccine causes the body's immune system to develop high levels of antibodies when it detects nicotine. The researchers say there are few side effects and it is designed to help people quit and not start again.

Sunday News, 1 November 2009

Electronic cigarettes not a safe alternative

Debbie Mooney pestered her aunt for months to switch from regular cigarettes to the electronic, smokeless version. This way, Mooney reasoned, her aunt could still receive the nicotine she craved without exposing her family to the dangers of second-hand smoke.

Then Mooney, a Shorewood resident and mother of a 12-year-old boy, changed her mind after reading the FDA warnings regarding electronic cigarettes.

Suburban Chicago News, 4 November 2009

Switching to 'light' cigarettes makes quitting tougher

Smokers who switch to a low-tar, light or mild brand of cigarette will not find it easier to quit and in fact may find it harder, say researchers.

They found that smokers who traded to light cigarettes were 50 percent less likely to stop smoking.

"It may be that smokers think that a lighter brand is better for their health and is therefore an acceptable alternative to giving up completely," Dr Hilary Tindle of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who led the study, said in a statement.

Reuters, 3 November 2009

Hundreds fined for smoking in cars since new laws

More than 400 people have been cautioned or fined for smoking in cars with children in South Australia since the controversial law was introduced.

The state led the nation by introducing a law prohibiting smoking in vehicles in the presence of people under 16 in May 2007, in a bid to protect children from passive smoking.

Adelaide Now, 9 November 2009

QUOTABLE QUOTES

"Being pregnant was finally the motivation I needed to stop smoking.

"What really made me do it this time was my friend Janelle. I was heading outside for a smoke, and Janelle handed me her own baby and said, 'Go and have a puff and blow the smoke into my baby's face, because that's what you are doing to your baby.'

"I woke up crying the next day. It gave me nightmares."

Cherie, an ex-smoker from Paparoa
"So why did I quit?", Kaipara Lifestyler, 22 October 2009

The Tobacco Control Update is produced by the Smokefree Coalition
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