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| Issue 133 | 23 December 2009 | |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. From the Director
Now that organising the seminars isn't occupying all my time, I'm taking the opportunity to do loads of reading and preparation for the Coalition's submission to the Māori Affairs Select Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry, due on 29 January. I know a lot of you are in the same boat. What an incredible year! I have really learnt so much joining the tobacco control community. Thank you to everyone who has given me advice and helped me get to know my role. It really has been such a warm and welcoming last three months. A few excuses for raising your glass this Christmas: Here's to smokefree celebrations. And here's to our collective voice on tobacco control ringing in everyone's ears like a Christmas carol throughout Aotearoa. See you 2010, everyone. Take care, Prudence Stone, Director, IN THIS ISSUE:
Nurses for a Smokefree Aotearoa get down to their ABCs
On 2 December 2009 the inaugural meeting of the Nurses for a Smokefree Aotearoa/New Zealand Expert Advisory Group met in Wellington. Fifteen delegates representing 11 nursing groups discussed how nurses can be supported to complete ABC smoking cessation intervention training and to deliver interventions. Ashley Bloomfield, Acting Deputy Director-General Sector Capability and Innovation Directorate, said smoking related diseases are the single leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand. They are 12 times the annual road toll. In his opinion, not to offer NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) to smokers in hospital should be recorded as a serious event. Mark Jones, Chief Nurse of New Zealand, outlined how district health boards (DHBs) had performed against the government's health target of providing better help for smokers to quit. "Nurses are instrumental in helping DHBs reach this target if they perform a smoking cessation intervention each time they encounter a client who smokes," he said. ABC is short for Assessment of smoking status, provision of Brief advice and the offer of effective smoking Cessation treatment. Lighting up: the social history of smoking in New Zealand c.1920-1962This interesting paper by Susie Johnston on the history of smoking in New Zealand could be a helpful background resource for making submissions to the Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry. Abstract: The period 1920-1962 saw a significant increase in tobacco consumption in New Zealand. This period was one in which there was an expansion of the tobacco industry, tobacco consumers and smoking as a part of modern society. Smoking became an increasingly popular, prevalent and sociable habit, emerging as an integral part of twentieth-century life. Through this period smoking was uncontroversial and was often considered healthy. In 1962 London's Royal College of Physicians (RCP) released the findings of their report Smoking and health, culminating over a decade of health research. In 1964 the United States Surgeon General's report produced similar findings. The reports proved conclusive links between smoking and lung cancer as well as other negative health effects of the use of tobacco. Though the reports were clear, their reception by New Zealanders did not lead to an immediate reduction in smoking – rates remained high until the mid-1970s and declined thereafter. Climate policy: lessons from tobacco controlMaria Nilsson, Robert Beaglehole, Rainer Sauerborn
Both health threats are underpinned by scientific evidence of increasing robustness. By the early 1950s the association of tobacco use with premature death and disease was clearly identified. This scientific evidence was accepted by 1964. Evidence on the harmful health effects of passive smoking about 20 years later galvanised public support for tobacco control policies. In 1999, work started on an international treaty on tobacco control and in 2005 the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control came into force. The 50-year delay between the wide acceptance of the evidence on the harmful effects and the development of a global tobacco control policy has cost more than 100 million lives. Due to appallingly low implementation of effective policies, smoking still kills over 5 million people each year. How does the tobacco experience relate to the debate on climate policy? The pathway from evidence to action on climate change has been in two stages. First, the scientific community had to prove that climate change was to a large extent man-made (anthropogenic). The assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the likelihood that an anthropogenic source is true rose from "more likely than not" (>50 percent probability of occurrence) in 1995, to "likely" (90 percent probability) in 2007. Second, in 1995, the IPCC concluded "climate change is likely to have wide-ranging and mostly adverse impacts on human health," which indicates that there was sufficient knowledge in 1995 to take action to protect population health from adverse effects of climate change. The first global treaty on climate policy was signed in Kyoto in 1997. The treaty covered only 37 high-income countries, excluded major emitters (USA and Australia), and represented about only 34 percent of all CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 1997. Although the targets were far below what was needed, Kyoto marked the first step in the formulation of global policies and mechanisms to control emissions. The major conference to realise the second step of global climate policy convened in Copenhagen in December, 2009, the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference's main goals are to agree on effective and binding targets for the reduction of emissions to keep global warming below 2°C by the end of the century, and to include low-income and middle-income countries by offering them fair compensation for their costs of emissions reduction and adaptation to limit damage to health. There are many similarities between tobacco use and climate change. In addition to causing huge damage to population health, both cause substantial adverse social, economic, equity, and gender effects. Both have long lead times between cause and effect and both require long-term policies and monitoring systems. The number of countries implementing the policies effectively is far too low. Negative effects are increasing over time and will have greatest effects in low-income countries and poor populations. Both issues are influenced by strong vested interests; moreover, delaying tactics and the use of "junk science" by opponents of change have impeded effective policies. Climate change can be compared to passive smoking because those who generate the damage are not the same people as those who suffer (in the case of tobacco) or the same country (in the case of climate change); greenhouse gases are the largest externality the world has ever experienced. Externalities require public policy intervention because markets cannot and will not deal with them. As with tobacco use, climate change requires local action informed by local circumstances. But in both cases, solutions ultimately depend on globally coordinated policies. There are also important differences. The health damage due to smoking accrues either directly to smokers or indirectly to others through passive smoking. The effects from climate change will be global; those countries responsible for the most cumulative emissions are much less damaged than those who suffer most from the health effects. There are important lessons from tobacco control for climate policy. The existing research base calls for urgent, comprehensive, and sustained action. Political will and strong leadership are required for both areas: implementing effective tobacco control policies has taken decades and is far from complete. Additional funding to support action in low-income countries is in the interest of all. The main lesson from tobacco for the Copenhagen conference is that delay in agreeing on international policy and poor implementation will cost countless lives. We must act now in the interests of future generations. The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9706, Pages 1955-1956, 12 December 2009 Smoke signals right in the faceby Bec Whish I shamefully admit it. Sometimes I light up at parties. There's nothing malicious about my behaviour. I don't spend up on kilos of cancer sticks, thinking, "Ha, this will show you, lungs!". It just happens. I have a few drinks. I get offered one. I accept. So when a PR agency requested a headshot of me as part of a quit smoking campaign, I innocently obliged. What they sent back made my vain heart recoil – digitally altered photos of me (I'm 26) as a smoker verses a non-smoker at age 30, 40, 50 and 70. And the worst news in the press release? Social smokers can expect their faces to be ravaged at a similar rate to regular smokers. Addiction specialist and GP Dr Raymond Seidler says the chemicals in cigarettes damage blood flow to the skin. "Smokers have more wrinkles, blotches, and acne scars. They also have a grey tinge to the skin, which results from constricting blood vessels. "Quitting smoking is the best way to offset the damage. The younger you are when you stop, the more your body will heal." Go to www.age-me.com and spend a few bucks seeing what you'll look like if you keep smoking. Your vanity will rear up and the next time someone offers you a stick you'll give them a light slap. Cleo NZ, December 2009 Quit Group advertisement chosen
The World Lung Foundation was compiling advertisements to showcase best practice in smoking cessation campaigns to the low to middle income countries they work with. These have been placed on a web-based mass media resource so low to middle income countries can view and potentially adapt these advertisements for use in their own countries. It's good to see New Zealand advertisements measuring up with the best in the world. View the advertisement and the World Lung Foundation's mass media resource. Global tobacco: The power of cigarette pricingPut this on your Santa list this Christmas: The report Global Tobacco: The Power of Cigarette Pricing offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at an international level. It provides the latest retail sales data, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market – be they new product developments, packaging innovations, economic/lifestyle influences, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change. Why you should buy this report
Regions covered
Smoking and pregnancy audience research reportThe Health Sponsorship Council has recently undertaken a research project to help identify key messages that may motivate women of child-bearing age who smoke and pregnant women who smoke to make a quit attempt. A sub-objective of this project is to explore and identify the most appropriate communication channels through which to reach these women. The report is now available on HSC website. PHA Conference 2010The Public Health Association conference is a major educational and networking event for groups and individuals working in public health in New Zealand. It can therefore play a significant role in developing and maintaining the competence of public health workers whose needs for learning and development are ongoing. The conference is held in a different region every year. Next year's conference, with the theme Tomorrow for Tomorrow's People, is being held in Waikato at Turangawaewae Marae, Ngaruawahia, Waikato, 21-24 September. Put it in your diary now! Free cessation practitioner training coursesThe following free cessation practitioner training courses are available to all health professionals. They are facilitated by Heart Foundation smoking cessation specialists Denise Barlow or Dr Mark Wallace-Bell. Pre-course reading and a questionnaire are required. For further details on courses and registrations, please contact Jenny Ansley, Heart Foundation cessation training coordinator – jennya@nhf.org.nz or 03 366 2112 ext 0. Further courses will be arranged in 2010. North Shore, Auckland – 10 and 11 February Asia Pacific Association for Tobacco Control (APACT) conference funding assistance
Please note the firm closing date of 22 January 2010 for all applications. There is no guarantee of funding and only a limited amount of assistance is available. Preference will be given to applicants from low and middle income countries. Decisions on all funding will announced by the end of February 2010. All decisions will be final and at the sole discretion of the conference organising committee. Click here to find out more and download an application form.
Through the smokeYour cancer and drug store
In this short online video renowned tobacco control advocate Dr Alan Blum provides a satirical look at the absurdity that exists within the drug store and pharmacy chains in the US that sell cigarettes under the same roof as medical prescriptions and health products. These stores claim to be purveyors of health and wellbeing, but instead their choice to sell and actively promote tobacco products shows that money comes before even their own stated mission. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandVoice of Experience – results of the 2009 Cancer Care Survey
Initial results show that overall satisfaction with the publicly funded outpatient cancer care system is very high — with 97 percent satisfaction levels. Although patients who responded to the survey generally rated the quality of care and services overall very highly, ratings for certain aspects of care could be improved. Cancer Control Council of New Zealand website, accessed 18 December 2009 Cigarette companies find loophole in sponsorship laws Cigarette companies are being threatened with prosecution amid claims they are exploiting a loophole in the law banning tobacco sponsorship. They appear to be getting around the law by paying for exclusive distribution deals with event promoters, including music festival Rhythm and Vines and Air New Zealand Fashion Week. New Zealand Herald, 20 December 2009 InternationalPassive smoking a 'global threat', WHO warns
In its second major report on the "tobacco epidemic", the UN agency said second-hand or passive smoking killed nearly 600,000 people each year. The WHO said seven new countries passed comprehensive smokefree laws in 2008, taking the world total to a mere 17. BBC News, 9 December 2009 Study confirms link between tobacco smoke and behavioural problems in children "We were able to show that children who are exposed to tobacco smoke prenatally and during the first years of life have a higher risk of developing abnormal behavioural symptoms when they are of school age," said Dr. Joachim Heinrich of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen. "Moreover, it makes a difference whether the child was exposed to tobacco smoke first after birth or was already confronted with it during prenatal development." Medical News Today, 11 December 2009 Smoking cessation offers measurable benefits for asthmatic patients Asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The Medical News, 7 December 2009 Study suggests craving hinders comprehension A new University of Pittsburgh study reveals that craving a cigarette while performing a cognitive task not only increases the chances of a person's mind wandering, but also makes that person less likely to notice when his or her mind has wandered. Medical News Today, 8 December 2009 Rodent smoke screen
Their findings of how rats' brains respond to exposure to tobacco smoke have implications for the study of the effects of tobacco smoke on the human brain even from passive exposure to other smokers, and for future studies testing new treatments for tobacco addiction. Their work has just been published online in Springer's journal Psychopharmacology. Eurekalert, 8 December 2009 Smoking deaths blow out insurance premiums A major new survey of Australian insurance policies shows tobacco's massive toll in deaths, disability and disease – and on insurance premiums and payouts. The study, just released by the Investment and Financial Services Association and KPMG Actuaries, shows:
ASH Australia media release, 14 December 2009 How dangerous is outdoor second-hand smoke? Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new study suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard. Food Consumer, 10 December 2009 Taiwan to ban smoking while walking
The ban, currently being drafted by the Environmental Protection Administration, will also make it illegal to smoke while riding a motorbike or driving car. "We hope the new rules will prevent pedestrians, motorcycle riders and car drivers from throwing cigarette butts all over the place," said the official, with the administration. Google News, 12 December 2009 Tobacco firms fear big tax hike in Japan will shrink sales further Japan, one of the last bastions of rock-bottom cigarette prices and smoking-friendly policies, is set to announce its biggest-ever tax increase on cigarettes in a move that could have long-lasting ramifications for Japan Tobacco Inc, Philip Morris International Inc and British American Tobacco PLC. Wall Street Journal, 16 December 2009 15 cigarettes: all it takes to harm genes One genetic mutation occurs on average for every 15 cigarettes that a typical lung-cancer patient smokes, according to a study that has identified for the first time all of the mutations acquired during the lifetime of a cancer patient. The Independent, 17 December 2009 Sotheby's to sell "The former Peter Stuyvesant collection" Sotheby's has announced it will offer for sale 163 works from the former Peter Stuyvesant Collection, property of British American Tobacco Netherlands (BAT), on Monday 8 March 2010 at Sotheby's in Amsterdam. The works from the collection to be offered for sale are estimated to realize in excess of €.4 million. Art Knowledge News, 20 December 2009 Santa promotes unhealthy lifestyle: health expert
In the light-hearted Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, Nathan Grills, from Monash University in Australia, says the image of Jolly Old St Nick promotes obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle, based on Grills' review of literature and websites. "Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 percent to damage millions of lives," Grills said, adding it would be better if his popularity was used to promote healthy living, such as sharing carrots with his red-nosed reindeer Rudolph. CBC News, 16 December 2009 Cigarette taxes: The poverty punishment Ontario's "deprivation index" uses 10 benchmarks to measure poverty, among them such necessities of life as possession of a working toaster. So far, so good. Inexplicably, however, it omits a weekly carton of cigarettes. Since the poorest of people smoke far more than anyone else, this omission appears deliberately discriminatory. A carton of 200 cigarettes, after all, costs $74.79 in Ontario – more than half of which ($44.89) is federal and provincial tax. This tax alone, on a single carton, buys a very good four-slice toaster (with crumb rack) at Wal-Mart. The Globe and Mail, 20 December 2009 Special interest deceptions continue about electronic cigarettes Over the last few weeks there has been an increase of the amount of scare language that is used by those opposing the electronic cigarette in an attempt to scare the population concerning it. Many are questioning the tactics of these groups. They appear to have no legitimate argument against the electronic cigarette and have stepped up the use of catch phrases like "an ingredient found in anti-freeze" to describe propylene glycol, when that ingredient is also found in the food supply and asthma inhalers that children use on a daily basis. PR Newswire, 17 December 2009 Victoria gets tough on tobacco with new smoking ban in cars People will be banned from smoking in motor vehicles with children under 18 in the Australian state of Victoria when new tobacco laws come into force on 1 January 2010. Health Minister Daniel Andrews and Quit Victoria Executive Director Fiona Sharkie said the legal change would help protect children from exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke. The Gov Monitor, 20 December 2009 QUOTABLE QUOTES"I am delighted Ann X Smoker overcame her addiction and became smokefree, but am sad that she perpetuates myths about smoking. Her 'social cigarettes' reflect meticulously crafted identities that tobacco companies have marketed, through mass media when this was possible, and now via social media and product placement in movies. Designed to appeal to young people (the most profitable recruits), the imagery Ann X Smoker celebrates helps to kill 5000 New Zealanders every year. "Here are a few suggestions for a more realistic story. How about Any Smoker's recollection of the first time s/he coughed up blood? The frisson of fear when having a lung x-ray? The setting when told s/he had terminal lung cancer? Family perspectives on the cancer journey?" Janet Hoek, Professor of Marketing, University of Otago,
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As this is the final Tobacco Control Update for the year, here's wishing you all a happy holiday and a good rest over Christmas and New Year. 
Controlling tobacco use is the highest immediate priority for global health, while climate change is the biggest threat to health in the medium and long term. The longstanding efforts to control the impact of the tobacco industry have important lessons for climate control.
The Quit Group was been approached by the New York-based World Lung Foundation, with a request to use a
TV advertisement that was originally produced in 1995 entitled Every cigarette is doing you damage.
APACT 2010 will offer a limited amount of funding support to delegates from low and middle income countries who wish to attend the APACT 2010 Conference.
Where
possible, links to full articles are provided below each story.
For the first time people who need outpatient cancer treatment have been surveyed to gauge their experiences in the public health system.
Almost 95
percent of the world's population is not protected by laws banning smoking, the World Heath Organization says.
Rats passively exposed to tobacco smoke become dependent on nicotine, according to a new study by Dr Adrie Bruijnzeel and colleagues from the University of Florida in the US.
Taiwan plans to ban smoking while walking next year in a bid to promote a cleaner and healthier environment, an official said.
Santa ought to ditch his sleigh, get walking, and give up his pipe, a public health expert argues.