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| Issue 137 | 17 February 2010 | |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. From the Director
Hot on its heels comes the Cancer Society's Relay for Life this month and in March. There's nothing like hitting the road and engaging with the community through fun and adventurous fundraising exercises. Well done to two of the Smokefree Coalition's key members for such unique and innovative ways of catching New Zealand's imagination for health. The next 10 years could be tobacco's last in New ZealandHundreds of submissions were made to the current Māori Affairs Select Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori. This inquiry gave us an opportunity to send a clear message to Government that our children need protection from a rogue industry that addicts, maims and kills its users. Members of the Smokefree Coalition (32 member organisations such as the Cancer Society, the National Heart Foundation, the Asthma Foundation, the Stroke Foundation, ASH and the Quit Group) made recommendations to the Committee for a ten-year strategy of tobacco control. The time for incremental measures is over. While we fight over the details too many lives are being lost and too many children are being exposed to the smoking lifestyle. With a time-line of change, this country can reduce smoking prevalence and uptake rates to near zero by 2020. It is time for Government to adopt a comprehensive, time-lined strategy that aligns the smokefree workforce around the country into cohesive platforms for health promotion in the community, while supporting people quitting and parents with legislation at both local and national levels. Local governments must show the overwhelming majority of their constituents who don't smoke, or want to quit, that they support smokefree as the "norm". A policy of smokefree public places will empower non-smokers and quitters alike to shift culture for their own and their children's sake. Our Government has been shown that the majority of New Zealanders want tobacco out by 2020. Nations around the world are also showing our Government that tobacco retail display bans and substantial tobacco excise tax increases are sure legislative methods for reducing the population's smoking prevalence and uptake rates. Members of the Smokefree Coalition have made clear in their submissions that savings to New Zealand's healthcare system would be magnificent if only all the smoking-related illness and morbidity was taken off its shoulders. In any year 5000 New Zealand deaths are attributable to smoking. Every measure must be taken on every level to bring that number down: in the home by parents, in the public realm by innovative councils, and in The Beehive by a responsible Government. A rogue industry must be given its sunset on our shores, so that the future generations of New Zealand are saved the costs we currently have to bear. Take care, Prudence Stone, Director, IN THIS ISSUE:
Tobacco tax call to actionby Ben Youdan, Director ASH
Advocate for 20 percent increase in pack price! The rationale for this is as follows.
What you can do Write to John Key supporting his views:
Tax is due to be discussed in Cabinet. Some of you will live in the Cabinet Ministers' constituencies. Use this as an excuse to go visit them about the issue. Make it relevant to their constituency. Otherwise, write to Cabinet Ministers to canvass their view, outline the evidence and urge them to support tax equalisation and a tax increase. Take smoking stats! Click here for Cabinet Members' contact details Click here for the NZTUS or the ASH year 10 Survey. Click here for key discussion points on tax. Watch: ASH Director Ben Youdan talking to Neil Waka on TVNZ News Māori Affairs inquiry: submissions call for elimination of tobaccoStrong Māori representation has shone through in the written submissions for the Māori Affairs Select Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori. "From individuals, whānau, health providers and iwi there is an overwhelming belief that tobacco is not only a burden but that it's time to see the end of it in Aotearoa," said Te Reo Marama Director Shane Kawenata Bradbrook. "These submissions demonstrate that Māori leadership is engaged on an issue that decimates the ranks of the living from a preventable killer." Many of the iwi submissions point to the fact that tobacco is an impediment to meeting iwi development aspirations and overarching strategies. "Tobacco impacts on our ability as Māori to meet some of these aspirations as it sadly, removes over 600 Māori each year from our whānau, hapu and iwi. It is difficult to have such vision if in reality you are seeing your people disappear into the ground," said Mr Bradbrook. Mr Bradbrook said tobacco companies have also submitted to the inquiry but appear to have missed the opportunity to admit liability for the devastating impact their collective product has on all New Zealanders. "At the end of the day these companies operate legally but that does not make them good corporate citizens or excuse them for the carnage attributed to tobacco. From these submissions I believe that the final stage of their existence is about to be written," he said. Oral hearings will now follow the written submissions process with dates and locations provided in due course. Te Reo Marama media release, 13 February 2010 Smokefree Coalition submission to the Māori Affairs Select CommitteeClick here to view the Smokefree Coalition's submission to the Māori Affairs Select Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori. Read all submissions at Parliament's website. Are you presenting your submission orally? If you would like help preparing your presentation to the Māori Affairs Select Committee, please contact director@sfc.org.nz. Goodbye to Angela's ashes
Angela Wallace, from Tawa, Wellington, attempts to give up smoking in a series of adverts for the Quitline, the free support service which last year helped more than one in every 12 of New Zealand's smokers. Born and raised in Christchurch, of Ngai Tahu descent, Angela's story first appeared on national television on 31 January and will continue to be shown until April. Episodes take us from her decision to quit through to the last cigarette and the challenging times that follow. "In the initial stages not having a cigarette was really easy – I'd set a goal and was happy to be smokefree," said Angela, who has smoked for 25 years. "Then it went downhill from there! Staying free was the hardest part – not being able to hang out and socialise with friends, that kind of thing was difficult. "But that's when support became really important. I got some good advice from Quitline and I talked to a quit coach from my marae – and my friends and family were vital." The adverts show how Angela's smoking and quitting impact on the people around her, and how they impact on her. Scenes showing her weaving with her sister or sharing stories at the marae are poignant reminders that smoking is not an individual habit. "Filming the adverts was a tough process, and it stimulated quite a big conversation with my family and friends," said Angela, who has previously tried to quit several times. "One thing I realised was that I'd had those conversations before, but this time I was ready to listen. I think that's the crucial thing for smokers – it has to be the right time." The Quit Group media release, 25 January 2010 The global research neglect of unassisted smoking cessation: causes and consequencesby Simon Chapman and Ross MacKenzie
Moreover, despite the pharmaceutical industry's efforts to promote pharmacologically mediated cessation and numerous clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of pharmacotherapy, the most common method used by most people who have successfully stopped smoking, remains unassisted cessation (cold turkey or reducing before quitting). In 1986, the American Cancer Society reported, "Over 90 percent of the estimated 37 million people who have stopped smoking in this country since the Surgeon General's first report linking smoking to cancer have done so unaided." Today, unassisted cessation continues to lead the next most successful method (nicotine replacement therapy [NRT]) by a wide margin. Yet, paradoxically, the tobacco control community treats this information as if it was somehow irresponsible or subversive and ignores the potential policy implications of studying self-quitters. Unassisted cessation is seldom emphasised in advice to smokers. We know of no campaigns that highlight the fact that most ex-smokers quit unaided even though hundreds of millions have done just that. Reviews typically give unassisted cessation cursory attention, framing it as a challenge to be eroded by persuading more smokers to use pharmacotherapies. Clinical guidelines also ignore unassisted cessation. Finally, although the US National Center for Health Statistics routinely included a question on "cold turkey" cessation in its surveys between 1983 and 2000, this question disappeared in 2005. Read the full article (including footnotes) at the PLoS Medicine website. European Union tobacco subsidy petitionScottish Member for the European Parliament Alyn Smith has started a petition against the subsidy of tobacco farming. He writes: "I'm not against agricultural subsidy, but it should go to crops with a nutritional or environmental benefit, tobacco is objectively an exception. Tobacco is the single largest cause of avoidable death in the European Union accounting for over half a million deaths each year and over a million deaths in Europe as a whole. "Farmers must be given incentives to convert their crops back to sustainable agriculture. It is for their own and possibly their nation's economy's sake. To phase out tobacco, we must target its primary resource." Recent researchClick the links below each piece for more information. Promoting health through tobacco taxationAs a result of the fairly rapid effects of tax increases, most tobacco control leaders consider them an independently effective intervention. Even though tax increases are effective and desirable, sustained success in tobacco control requires multifaceted efforts. Instituting and maintaining policy interventions, such as increasing tobacco taxes, require a receptive population and willing legislators, and such policy measures are futile without enforcement. These are important considerations as tobacco control efforts are increasingly being directed toward low- and middle-income countries http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/303/4/357 Smoking and cardiovascular health: A review of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention and control of tobaccoThe causal associations between cigarette smoking and human diseases are irrefutable. In this review, the authors focus on the epidemiological pattern of cigarette smoking on cardiovascular risk, the underlying mechanistic process of such a causal link, how to prevent premature cardiovascular morbidity and mortality particularly through smoking cessation, and the health benefits of such cessation measures. Finally, they conclude by summarising a few of the proven evidence-based tobacco control strategies and policies from across the globe. Smoking cessation: the potential role of risk assessment tools as motivational triggersThe 'Three Ts' (tension, trigger, treatment) model of behaviour change proposes that at any one time a smoker experiences varying degrees of motivational tension, which in the presence of a trigger may initiate or enhance quitting. Smokers' optimistic bias (i.e. denial of one's own vulnerability) sustains continued smoking, while increasing motivational tension (e.g. illness) favours quitting. http://pmj.bmj.com/content/86/1011/26.abstract Effects of acute psychosocial stress on cigarette craving and smokingStress is thought to influence use of drugs, including cigarette smoking, but the mechanisms by which it does so are not clear. This study, investigates the effects of acute psychosocial stress on cigarette craving, the subjective effects of smoking, and smoking behaviour in daily smokers. http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ntp214 Smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity: associations with social statusThe authors of this study analysed social-status-specific differences in tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity among men and women aged 18 years and above in Germany. Their social status was judged on the basis of the information they gave about their education and professional training, occupational position, and net household income. The results imply that persons of low social status should be an important target group for preventive and health-promoting measures, both in health policy and in medical practice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2807643/pdf/Dtsch_Arztebl_Int-107-0001.pdf Alcohol intake and cigarette smoking: impact on male fertilityThis study aimed to find the specific impact of alcohol and smoking on semen quality of male partners of couples seeking treatment for primary infertility. Semen samples 100 alcoholics and 100 cigarette smoker males were studied following World Health Organization guidelines and compared with 100 strict non-alcoholic and non-smoking males. Progressive deterioration in semen quality was found to be related to increasing quantity of alcohol intake and cigarettes smoked. www.ijpmonline.org/printarticle.asp?issn=0377-4929 A smokefree future: a comprehensive tobacco control strategy for England
From a letter announcing the new strategy by Gillian Merron,
It is now over 10 years since the publication of Smoking Kills, the Government's White Paper which set out a package of measures to reduce the harms from smoking in the UK. Since then, the Government's successful tobacco control strategy has reduced the number of people who smoke by a quarter, and has more than halved the proportion of children who take up smoking. In England today, there are over two million fewer adult smokers than there were a decade ago. However, though a smoking rate of 21 percent is the lowest ever recorded for England, there are still 8.8 million people in England who smoke. Half of them may be expected to die prematurely if they do not quit. In 2008, over 80,000 people died from a smoking-related condition and smoking is still the principal avoidable cause of premature deaths in the UK and a major contributor to health inequalities. A Smokefree Future, the new tobacco control strategy for England
published today, establishes a vision of eradicating tobacco harms and
creating a smokefree future, so that we can support people to live healthier
and longer lives. The strategy follows on from a public consultation in 2008
on the future of tobacco control, which prompted nearly 100,000 responses.
Download: A smokefree future: a comprehensive tobacco control strategy for England. Free seminars on smoking cessation and nursesSmokefree Nurses Aotearoa/New Zealand
Nurses are key to achieving smoking cessation targets. Hayden McRobbie will discuss practical aspects of smoking cessation in different settings and overview support and reporting in DHBs and primary care. Jennifer Percival RN, HV, MW, Dip counseling, Dip teaching is visiting New Zealand. She will discuss the importance of the role of nurses in tobacco control, outline the barriers faced by many nurses undertaking this work and give examples of global nursing achievements. Wellington: 3-5pm, Friday 12 March at the Graduate School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Level 8 – Room 801, Clinical Services Block, Wellington Hospital (download flyer). Auckland: 4-6 pm, Thursday 25 March, Room AA 236, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, AUT University, Akoranga Campus, Akoranga Drive, Northcote (download flyer). These free seminars are for nurses or those who work with nurses. They count as two hours professional development and, as space is limited, attendees must contact Lynn Stevenson to register and for further details: lynn.stevenson@aut.ac.nz. Centre for Public Health Research Symposium 2010
The symposium will focus on the role and practice of the public health surveillance of both animal and human populations in providing information for the development of policy and decision-making. Two international speakers, Dr Lisa Lee and Professor Roger Morris, will present plenary sessions on distinguishing characteristics of health surveillance, the critical developments in the area and future challenges. Further sessions will be devoted to the interface between human and animal surveillance, based on the concept of 'One World, One Health', the theory and practice of surveillance in New Zealand (e.g. infectious disease, occupational and environment) and discussion of the health surveillance activities undertaken by various agencies. Keynote speakers: Dr Lisa Lee Emeritus Professor Roger Morris Further details and registration information
SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandEditorial: Get serious about not smoking
Smoking kills 5000 New Zealanders every year. That's a lot of people for a country our size to lose every year to a leisure activity. Imagine if someone had to come up with a new activity and try to pitch it to the Government with the assurance that it would kill only 5000 New Zealanders every year. It's safe to assume the response would not be in the affirmative. Marlborough Express, 2 February 2010 Ban smoking from beaches, health officials ask Taxpayer-funded health officials are calling on the Government to increase tobacco tax and ban smoking in many outdoor public areas such as beaches. The call from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service for a range of tough measures comes in its submission to the Māori Affairs Select Committee's forthcoming inquiry into the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori. New Zealand Herald, 5 February 2010 Key not keen on public smoking ban A proposal to ban smoking at beaches and other public places doesn't have the support of Prime Minister John Key, who thinks it is too "Nanny state". TNVZ, 8 February 2010 Kiwis told they will get used to smoking ban Health officials say Kiwis will eventually get used to a smoking ban on beaches and public areas – like they did when the smoking was banned in restaurants and bars in 2003. TNVZ, 7 February 2010 Smokefree outdoor Kāpiti policy a success
"People who said the policy would be ignored by smokers and would fail have been emphatically proved wrong with butt counts in areas covered by the policy showing as much as a 70 percent drop," she said. "The policy was always intended as an educational one with the idea of normalising smokefree environments as an example for young people and to discourage them from starting to smoke. Voxy, 4 February 2010 Tobacco ban mooted for Gisborne region Turanganui PHO is calling for a prohibition of tobacco in Tairawhiti as a way to prevent smoking-related deaths among the region's Māori. The PHO made its radical recommendation in a submission to the Māori Affairs Select Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori. NZ Doctor, 4 February 2010 Discount tobacco store sparks uproar
Action on Smoking and Health says it is disappointed The Big Tobacco Discounter, on the corner of Cameron Rd and 16th Ave, has branded itself a discount outlet. The shop has also been criticised by people who have contacted the Bay of Plenty Times because of the store's closeness to Tauranga Hospital and schools, including Tauranga Boys' College and Tauranga Girls' College. Bay of Plenty Times, 11 February 2010 InternationalReynolds to pay US$150,000 to settle dispute over ads RJ Reynolds Tobacco said it has agreed to pay US$150,000 to Maryland as part of a settlement with that state's Attorney General regarding a former Camel marketing campaign. The settlement is the latest development involving claims that Reynolds violated the Master Settlement Agreement with a four-page pullout in the November 2007 issue of Rolling Stone. Winston Salem Journal, 29 January 2010 Smoker loses six teeth when cigarette explodes in his mouth Andi Susanto, a 31-year-old security guard, says PT Nojorono Tobacco Indonesia, the maker of the brand of cigarette he was smoking when it exploded in his mouth, has offered to pay for his medical treatment, which reportedly cost 5 million rupiah (NZ$760). "The company's officials have talked to my family and we agreed to settle it amicably, as an out-of-court settlement. They will pay all the medical expenses," he said through bandaged lips in an interview with local media. The Telegraph, 2 February 2010 Longer use of nicotine patch improves abstinence from cigarettes
Extended use of a nicotine patch – 24 weeks versus the standard eight weeks recommended by manufacturers – boosts the number of smokers who maintain their cigarette abstinence and helps more of those who backslide into smoking again while wearing the patch, according to a study published in the 2 February issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. Stop Smoking website, Accessed 7 February 2010 Smoking increases the chances of being overweight, study Tobacco smoking increases the likelihood of being overweight, as shown by a study carried out at the Department of Preventive Medicine of University of Navarra and published in the latest issue of the Revista Espanola de Cardiologia. The researchers who conducted the study analysed more than 7500 participants during a period of just over four years in the SUN (University of Navarra Diet and Lifestyle Tracking Program) Project, financed in this case by the Carlos III Health Institute. Basque Research, 1 February 2010 Jordan endorses tax hike on tobacco Jordan's government has endorsed a decision to increase taxes on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages. According to Finance Minister Mohammad Abu Hammour, the average increase in cigarette prices will be between 50 fils and 100 fils. Jordanian Times, 5 February 2010 New York guard shoots two Irishmen after smoking row Two Irishmen are recovering from gunshot wounds in a New York hospital after being shot by a security guard in a dispute over smoking at a bowling alley. Irish Times, 9 February 2010 Should tobacco sponsorship of education be banned?
Statistics show in China, there are 17 Hope Primary Schools named after sponsoring tobacco companies. All of them are in economically backward areas. Beijing Review, 28 January 2010 Drinking and smoking often intertwine for students Interventions against alcohol consumption targeting college-age students have tended to focus solely on drinking without including any discussion of tobacco. This is concerning to University of Arizona anthropologists Mimi and Mark Nichter, whose research indicates that, among other key findings, college students in social settings often smoke and drink in tandem. PhysOrg, 9 February 2010 Smoking may pose 'third-hand' cancer hazard Residues of cigarette smoke deposited on indoor surfaces can turn carcinogenic when they react with airborne chemicals. This "third-hand" exposure could in theory cause health problems, particularly in children, says Hugo Destaillats, a specialist in indoor pollution at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. New Scientist, 8 February 2010 QUOTABLE QUOTES"Giving smokers 10 years to wean themselves off the habit seems like a reasonable idea and if Government really is concerned about the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders it will give the report – and all its recommendation – serious consideration." Editorial on a report of a study which found 49.8 percent of people agreed cigarettes should no longer be sold in New Zealand in 10 years Marlborough Express, 2 February 2010 -- "Since Ratana, I have had a busy two weeks, including way too many tangi. Please look after yourselves and the health of your whānau, I hate catching up with people at tangi." Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga, Māori Party, Te Reo o Te Tai Tonga, 9 February 2010 -- "Tobacco companies have also submitted to the [Māori Affairs Select Committee] inquiry but appear to have missed the opportunity to admit liability for the devastating impact their collective product has on all New Zealanders." Shane Kawenata Bradbrook, Te Reo Marama media release, 13 February 2010 |
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Well done to the National Heart Foundation and its community for raising $1million for heart health. Its Great Ride for Heart has been a tremendous success. This event really showed some inspiring leadership and pace-setting from the nation's heart health specialists.
Increasing tobacco tax is one of the most effective interventions to reduce tobacco use. Prime Minister John Key has indicated that in March Cabinet will be discussing a tax increase, and the equalisation of tax on loose leaf and factory made cigarette tobacco. The tobacco control community must increase the pressure for a large tobacco tax increase and sustained annual increases.
As the inquiry into tobacco companies puts the focus back onto Māori smoking, the star of a new documentary-style advertising campaign admits, "Quitting is easy – staying quit is the problem."
As with problem drinking, gambling, and narcotics use, population studies show consistently that a large majority of smokers who permanently stop smoking do so without any form of assistance. In 2003, some 20 years after the introduction of cessation pharmacotherapies, smokers trying to stop unaided in the past year were twice as numerous as those using pharmacotherapies and only 8.8 percent of US quit attempters used a behavioural treatment.
Health Surveillance: Information for Action in the 21st Century
Where
possible, links to full articles are provided below each story.
The Government spends millions of dollars on advertising campaigns aimed at encouraging smokers to quit, while at the same time complaining about how many millions of dollars smokers are costing the health system.
The simple, if unpleasant, task of counting discarded cigarette butts has clearly shown that the Kāpiti Coast
smokefree outdoor public places policy is a success, Mayor Jenny Rowan said.
A new cut-price tobacco store is under fire in Tauranga for promoting cheap cigarettes near the hospital and two schools.
New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine may help more smokers keep their New Year's resolution by helping them quit smoking. 
After the massive earthquake in Sichuan Province in May 2008, a primary school funded by a tobacco company was set up in the quake-stricken area. On the roof of the school building stands the signboard "Sichuan Tobacco Hope Primary School." A slogan engraved on another board reads, "Tobacco helps your success."