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| Issue 141 | 14 April 2010 | |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. From the Director
If you would like to take part in the conference please be in touch, or alternatively contact Michael Colhoun: 09 520 8424, mcolhoun@ash.org.nz. Te Reo Marama is holding its hui this week to discuss the future of Māori tobacco control advocacy now that this key organisation has run dry of funding. I will be attending on behalf of the Smokefree Coalition, which has benefitted so greatly over the years through its partnership with Te Reo Marama. Having Shane Kawenata Bradbrook's guidance and passion has been invaluable to me personally, starting as I did in this role just as a Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry began. It has been a privilege to have had so clearly spelt out to me how and why Māori tobacco use has to stay a focus for us all. Without an organisation specifically advocating for Māori alongside the Smokefree Coalition there will be an urgent need for the advocacy community to fill the void. If we don't do so, tobacco control in New Zealand will suffer a gaping hole in its strategic matrix. See you at the hearings! Take care, Prudence Stone, Director, IN THIS ISSUE:
Smoking rates track down
Ministry of Health Acting Deputy Director-General Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the drop of 2.1 percent in the past 12 months in the age adjusted rate just reaches statistical significance. "This is excellent news as it confirms the downward trend in smoking shown across surveys. "Each 1 percent drop in smoking represents about 30,000 fewer smokers. That's significant because on average half the people who smoke will die from a smoking related illness," Dr Bloomfield said. The 2009 youth smoking rate of 18 percent has also dropped from the 2008 figure of 20.8 percent. While this decrease is not statistically significant, it confirms an ongoing decline in youth smoking rates evident in the annual survey of year 10 students. "Our young people are leading the way, as they continue to reject smoking," Dr Bloomfield said. The full report on the 2009 Tobacco Use Survey is planned for release in October 2010. The report will provide an overview of smoking patterns among New Zealanders, including starting and quitting smoking, as well as exposure to second-hand smoke. Where possible, the data will provide a breakdown of smoking by gender, age and ethnic group. Ministry of Health media release, 1 April 2010 International tax increasesMore and more countries are raising the excise tax on tobacco as a way of reducing smoking and improving the health of their people. A senior government official in Indonesia has announced the country's plans to raise cigarette excise tax as a way of reducing cigarette production and further discouraging smoking. Indonesia is the world's fifth-largest tobacco market and its cigarettes are among the cheapest anywhere at around US$1 per pack. Read more at Yahoo News. Bulgaria also increased cigarette taxes by one lev (about 70 US cents) per packet, starting 1 April. Bulgaria's Finance Minister said the increase "would not only bring 130 million leva to the Budget, which can be used for health care, but would also reduce the number of smokers in Bulgaria." Already media reports say cigarettes sales have started going down. However, many smokers are turning to rolling tobacco which, again, underscores the need for excise of rolling tobacco to be on a par with factory made cigarettes. Tobacco business representatives have criticised the idea of raising the excise duty, saying that it would only stimulate contraband, which is exactly what they say here in New Zealand. Read more about the Bulgarian situation in the Sofia Echo. Asthma Foundation continues to support tobacco displays ban
"At the moment, children can go into a dairy and see cigarettes for sale alongside 'everyday' items like bread and milk. But tobacco is no ordinary product – it kills half it users. The Asthma Foundation struggles to understand how there can be any debate about continuing to allow children to be exposed to a product that kills." Minister Turia has announced further consultation on options for removing tobacco products from display in retail outlets. Consultation closes on 21 May 2010. Patterson says she is hopeful the consultation is a sign the government is revisiting its previous decision not to ban tobacco displays. "Tobacco displays are simply another form of advertising, designed to get people to buy cigarettes. There is clear evidence that children and adolescents who are frequently exposed to tobacco displays are more likely to experiment and start smoking. "We look forward to this further round of consultation and to a resulting strong response from Government to ban tobacco displays." Asthma Foundation media release, 1 April 2010 Ban tobacco displays says child health and wellbeing groupParents Centres New Zealand Inc says children must be protected from tobacco advertising, and is pleased the government is continuing to consult on the display of tobacco products in shops. "Parents don't want their children to become smokers – but they can't do it alone," says Parents Centres New Zealand Chief Executive Viv Gurrey. "Many pregnant women also face the challenges of giving up smoking – we should support them in that choice. Research clearly shows the impact of smoking on both the mother and unborn child. "Often cigarettes are displayed very close to discretionary spend items, sending a clear message to children that tobacco is just another product endorsed by adults. It's misleading and undermines the values many parents aim to communicate to their children. "We know that children and adolescents who are frequently exposed to tobacco displays are more likely to experiment and start smoking." Ms Gurrey says tobacco displays are just another way for the tobacco industry to advertise. "Since conventional forms of tobacco advertising were banned, the tobacco industry has increased its focus on retail settings. Cigarette displays in retail outlets are a highly effective marketing tool. They create product awareness, reinforce brand imagery, provide subliminal enticement and encourage sales. "Research shows displays 'normalise' cigarettes for children and trigger impulse purchases by what the tobacco industry calls 'learner smokers' – our children!" Parents Centres New Zealand Inc is urging the Government to carefully consider the evidence and make the right decision – removing tobacco displays from shops. Parents Centres New Zealand Inc media release, 1 April 2010 New International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project research on graphic health warningsPlease see below for new ITC Project research on graphic health warnings in New Zealand. A full list of research outputs is available at the ITC Project website.
Tobacco advertising: science... or smokescreen?
Robert K Jackler MD, the Sewall Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology and Associate Dean at Stanford University School of Medicine, has gathered many of those advertisements into an exhibit titled Not a cough in a carload: the campaign by the tobacco industry to hide the hazards of smoking. While critics were beginning to refer to cigarettes as "coffin nails," tobacco marketers used advertisements to depict smoking as socially acceptable. One ad shows a smiling, rosy-cheeked nurse smoking a Camel cigarette and promoting the brand's freshness. Another shows three doctors in white lab coats doing research in a lab and features the tagline "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette". An ad for Chesterfield cigarettes shows a man looking through a microscope and adjusting it while holding a burning cigarette in his left hand. By using images of physicians and scientists, the ads were intended to provide "facts," "data" and "evidence" that cigarette smoking was supported by the medical field and to imply various health benefits from smoking, such as weight loss, relaxation and pleasure, according to Jackler. Read more and watch a video of some of the ads at the Washington University in St Louis website. Recent researchClick the links below each piece for more information. Use of a liquid nicotine delivery product to promote smoking cessationDespite access to various pharmacotherapies and counselling support to aid cessation, smokers typically demonstrate quit rates below 50 percent. This report describes the results of a Phase 2a study exploring the efficacy of a liquid nicotine delivery system as an aid to smoking cessation assessed after 12 weeks of therapy. www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/155/abstract Cigarette smoking is independently associated with chronic pancreatitisIt is not completely understood whether smoking contributes to chronic pancreatitis (CP). Past studies have included mostly patients with alcohol-related and severe CP. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of smoking and CP adjusting for alcohol and other clinical risk factors. http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp... First trimester maternal tobacco smoking habits and fetal growthMaternal smoking in pregnancy is associated with reduced birth weight and childhood lung function. This study determined when maternal smoking first influences fetal growth and how this relates to childhood respiratory outcomes. http://thorax.bmj.com/content/65/3/235.abstract Massey Public Health School launched 24 March 2010Leading figures in the New Zealand health sector joined Massey University's top health researchers to launch its new School of Public Health on 24 March 2010. Professor Sir Mason Durie, a driving force behind the School, told guests, including Health Minister Tony Ryall and Director-General of Health Stephen McKernan, that two clear goals lay at the heart of its establishment. It aimed to continue "world class research evident now for more than a decade, as well as increase the health work force capability in New Zealand." Sir Mason described the launch of the School, held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, as a milestone in health teaching research for Massey. Click here to read more at Massey News and view Māori TV coverage. PHA Conference call for abstracts
The Waikato Branch is hosting the annual Public Health Association conference on 22-24 September 2010, at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia. The conference "Tomorrow for tomorrow's people – He ao mo nga whakatupuranga o apōpō" is about encouraging those who work with communities to share their stories of today to help build a healthy future for tomorrow. A change of government has led to policy and funding changes; throw in matters like climate change, and it's true to say the winds of change are certainly upon us! It is important those working in public health, health promotion, disease prevention and community development come together to celebrate what has been and is being achieved and to share with like-minded people the directions of public health practice and what it can offer all New Zealanders. The PHA is now calling for abstracts for this conference based on one of the three streams listed below:
Presentations can be oral (20 minutes including questions), interactive workshop (1 hour), or a poster. Submit your abstracts and get more information online at www.pha.org.nz/conference2010/. Abstract submissions close 28 April. Health Promotion Forum symposiumWhānau Ora, Tamariki Ora – The Wellbeing of Families and Children Improving the wellbeing of families and children is an essential part of health promotion practice. Last year's Symposium looked at global influences on health. This year we have come closer home to focus on our whānau and tamariki, families and children. The aim is that you leave the symposium re-energised with new learning, new tools, and renewed inspiration. Great feedback was received about how people loved the format of last year's symposium, so it has been kept the same this year. Child Poverty Action group Post Budget Breakfast
From a recent CPAG newsletter... Friday 21 May 2010 This year's Budget is looming as one of great concern to all who are interested in the welfare of our children. Pre-budget commentary and announcements from the government are pushing us to a status of "alarm". The impact of the fiscal policies of the 1990s is being still felt keenly today and this government appears to not only be willing to ignore this impact, but also to be determined to drive the wedge of inequality deeper into our society. CPAG's annual Post-Budget Breakfast will this year feature two of CPAG's own Executive. Susan St John, Associate Professor of Economics at University of Auckland dissects the budget. "Is this 1991 all over again? Were the welfare reforms just to soften us up? Where are the children in this budget?" Alan Johnson, Economist and Salvation Army Social Policy Analyst will reframe poverty through the lens of the "deserving and the undeserving". Alan will examine our treatment of the children of beneficiaries and non- beneficiaries, and compare our treatment of the young and the elderly. Put Friday 21 May in your diary now!
SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandTobacco displays ban plan no April Fool's joke "The Stay Displays Coalition of Independent Retailers fought the exact same proposals during the last Nanny State Government run by Helen Clark," says Stay Displays' representative Richard Green from Palmerston North. "When the National Government took power, John Key stated that there would be no ban on displays of tobacco." Voxy, 1 April 2010 University confirms plan to stub out smoking Canterbury University's goal of being smokefree by next year has been confirmed by Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr. A university spokesman said there would be consultation on the change and assistance for those wanting to stop smoking. The Press, 5 April 2010 E-ciggie may help smokers quit
The University of Auckland has reported the first substantial study of the device and found it is as good as a nicotine inhaler at reducing smoker's cravings – but nowhere near as good as a real cigarette. The findings are published in the British journal Tobacco Control, in which an editorial says e-cigs have "spread around the globe like wildfire" since the first model was marketed in 2004. They are banned in several countries. New Zealand Herald, 13 April 2010 InternationalAmerican Samoa House votes for smoking restrictions American Samoa's House of Representatives has approved a bill banning smoking in enclosed public places. The ban applies to buses and taxis and it spells out what's considered a restaurant and an enclosed area. Radio New Zealand, 1 April 2010 Science panel hears differing views on menthol cigarettes
Representatives of three major tobacco companies countered that the bulk of scientific evidence shows menthol-flavoured cigarettes are no riskier to health and no more likely to induce people to smoke than regular cigarettes. "Cigarettes already kill people – even the tobacco industry admits that," said Phillip Gardiner, Research Administrator of the University of California's Tobacco-Related Disease Research Programme. "What menthol does is make the poison go down easier." Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1 April 2010 Experts concerned at massive tobacco farming Renowned agri-scientists and experts have expressed their grave concerns over the growing of tobacco farming at alarming rates in the northern region of Bangladesh. They say it poses a threat to the country's food security. The News Today, 8 April 2010 Chinese kids swimming in second-hand smoke Health experts in Shanghai are calling for more protection for young children as the latest research shows about half of the youngsters are suffering from second-hand smoke. About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in families, 50 percent in public places, and almost 6 percent on public transportation, shows a research released by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center. China Daily, 2 April 2010 Smoking physician, heal thyself China's top cardiologist regards tobacco as the biggest risk to the health of its people but faces a major obstacle in controlling it – more than half of the country's male doctors are themselves smokers. South China Morning Post, 10 April 2010 China wrestles with tobacco control. An interview with Dr Yang Gonghuan
Dr Yang Gonghuan is the Deputy Director General of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Director of China's National Office of Tobacco Control and a Professor of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 5 April 2010 Lighting up for the sake of the economy One of the main battlegrounds between China's giant State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) and the public health advocates who campaign against it is implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which Beijing ratified in 2005. South China Morning Post, 10 April 2010 No charges for envoy for in-flight smoking A Qatari diplomat who sparked a security alert after he lit a pipe in a United Airlines in-flight bathroom will not be charged, U.S. officials said Thursday. But Mohamed al-Madadi, 27, the Third Secretary of the Qatari Embassy in Washington, will be sent home to Qatar, US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said. United Press international, 8 April 2010 Smoking campaign targets women as deaths increase High smoking rates among women in the 1970s and 80s are taking their toll, with lung cancer claiming more lives than ever before. Quit Victoria Executive Director Fiona Sharkie said 811 Victorian women died of lung cancer in 2007, 103 more than died from breast cancer in the same year. The Age, 12 April 2010 'Bill of rights' for all newborn babies
It has been drawn up by health chiefs and is expected to be backed by all 10 councils in the region. The manifesto includes a 17-point list of 'rights and assurances' including the right to a smokefree home, the right to 'appropriate' food and even the right to play. Manchester Evening News, 12 April 2010 Anti-smoking 'monsters' have smokers on the run Kanagawa Prefecture has enacted Japan's first ordinance to protect people from passive smoke. Its provisions call for a total ban on smoking in such places as government offices, schools and hospitals. Sensing a shift in the way the wind is blowing, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has proposed a bill in the National Diet to ban smoking in the workplace, which it hopes to get enacted by next year. It's entirely possible this may lead to an eventual ban on smoking in commercial areas such as restaurants and hotels. Japan Today, 10 April 2010 QUOTABLE QUOTES"I am a small retailer. I support a [tobacco display] ban. When people close to you die a slow painful death due to smoking related diseases, it gives you a new perspective." Reader comment on "Tobacco displays ban plan no April Fool's joke", Voxy, 1 April 2010 -- "[I] always crack up hearing about "right to choose" when it comes to cigarettes. The first one is a choice, every one after that is the nicotine choosing for you." Reader comment on "Tobacco displays ban plan no April Fool's joke", Voxy, 1 April 2010 -- "She's even got my wife joining in on the act. She tallied up my estimated total outlays for cigarettes over the past 22 years and raises this as the reason why our house is a rental." A 48-year-old Japanese man relates how his teenage daughter went after him with a vengeance over smoking, "Anti-smoking 'monsters' have smokers on the run", Japan Today, 10 April 2010
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Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry hearings begin next week in Wellington and if you have received an invitation there is support available. ASH is organising a teleconference for submitters keen to learn a little about what to expect when they sit before the Select Committee. I hope the contributions from some of the Smokefree Coalition members in the last two Updates also gave some insight into how best to frame key messages for the greatest impact.
The latest Tobacco Use Survey (2009) shows the current smoking rate for New Zealanders aged between 15 and 64 years is 21.8 percent, down 2.1 percent from the 2008 rate of 23.9 percent.
The Asthma Foundation is welcoming plans by Hon Tariana Turia to advance a proposal to ban the display of tobacco products in shops. Chief Executive Jane Patterson says such a ban is important if New Zealand is going to successfully tackle the harm caused by smoking.
Today, seeing an advertisement promoting a brand of cigarettes by a
person in a white doctor's coat would be jarring, but such ads were
commonplace in most of the last century.
Mark this in your diary now!
Where
possible, links to full articles are provided below each story.
Government plans for re-consultation with the public over proposals to ban tobacco displays are a cruel joke for Mum and Dad retailers around the country, says the Stay Displays Coalition.
The controversial electronic cigarette, which has spread rapidly around the globe in its first six years, may help people quit cigarettes, a world-first study indicates.
Menthol flavouring in cigarettes contributes to addiction and should be banned, some public-health advocates told a scientific advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington.
Around one-third of the world's smokers live in China, which has some of the largest tobacco companies. Weiyuan Cui interviews Dr Yang Gonghuan about the formidable forces of opposition to tobacco control in a country estimated in 2002 to have 350 million smokers.
Newborn babies in Greater Manchester are to be given a 'Bill of Rights' to improve their chances of a long and healthy life. The document includes measures such as teaching parents how to play with and cook for their children, making baby massage sessions available for all and providing more 'breastfeeding-friendly' buildings.