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| Issue 150 | 4 August 2010 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. From the Director
Welcome to the 150th issue of the Smokefree Coalition's Tobacco Control Update! Māori Affairs Inquiry on Tobacco Control shifts gears This is a critical moment for tobacco control advocacy. The Māori Affairs Select Committee has entered deliberations after receiving its secretariat's report on submissions to its inquiry. The Smokefree Coalition and its members stressed their Vision for 2020: That future generations of New Zealanders will be free from exposure to tobacco products and will enjoy tobacco free lives. Our strategic document, Achieving the Vision, was handed to the Māori Affairs Select Committee during the Smokefree Coalition's hearing, delivered by Chair, Professor Robert Beaglehole. With this comprehensive resource for tobacco control over the next 10 years, and with evidence of widespread public support for all the measures documented in it, the Committee can have confidence in recommending to government strong action plans to systematically reduce the supply of and demand for tobacco products. The challenge now is to ensure the government approves these recommendations, passing them into legislation. You can help! Write letters to the Minister of Health or the Prime Minister or visit your local MP. Ask leaders in your community to champion the Vision for 2020. Download copies of Achieving the Vision from www.sfc.org.nz/thevision.php to take on your visits and encourage others to do the same. Respond to media reports on this issue and other tobacco control news with letters to the editor. For help compiling letters or material to leave with your MP, don't hesitate to call me on 04 472 0157 or visit the website to find more news and resources. Take care, Prudence Stone, Director, IN THIS ISSUE:
Point-of-sale advertising a major cause of teen smoking
A study published in the August issue of Pediatrics led by Lisa Henriksen PhD, Senior Research Scientist at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, reports that teens' exposure to cigarette advertising at retail outlets substantially increases the odds they will start smoking. According to the findings, students who visited these stores on a regular basis were at least twice as likely to try smoking as those who visited infrequently. "The tobacco industry argues the purpose of advertising is to encourage smokers to switch brands, but this shows that advertising encourages teenagers to pick up a deadly habit," said Henriksen, who has studied tobacco marketing for more than a decade. Point-of-sale is the major form of marketing used for tobacco, representing 90 percent of the industry's $12.5 billion marketing budget in 2006, and the study suggests that further limits on such activity could affect long-term smoking habits. The teen years are when the vast majority of smokers start, and if teens make it through to adulthood without smoking, their likelihood of ever becoming addicted is very small, Henriksen said. Domain-b.Com, 21 July 2010. Click here to read more. Similar findings have resulted from research by Stirling University in the UK and are published in the journal Health Promotion Practice. Click here to read more. Revamped Smokefree Schools website
Take a look at the revamped www.smokefreeschools.org.nz. The new site has comprehensive information on quitting in school communities and a Māori language section. You will also find stories from schools around the country, as well as practical and useful information about their initiatives. Your feedback and ideas on the site are always welcome. Email Kath Blair with your thoughts. Cancer Society looking to update councils website
We would like to ask those of you who are involved in this area of work with your local councils or are aware of any developments in your region, to please inform us, so we can include your update in the new website. We are also separately seeking latest updates and information regarding smokefree councils from the Smokefree Councils Listserv as well as NZTAN, so apologies if you receive this massage more than once. Please email your updates to:
From the archive: one in eight heavy smokers "doomed"
The report of the Medical Research Council (MRC) blames smoking for the great increase in lung cancer. It says it is likely that about one in eight of lifelong cigarette smokers will die of the disease. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Mr Vaughan-Morgan, said the government believed the public had to make up its own mind what to do. "We cannot interfere with what is a matter for the individual." Earlier, in the House of Commons, he said that local authorities would be asked to take "appropriate steps" to inform the public of the MRC report. Lung cancer not yet at peak After an assessment of all the available evidence, the MRC has decided that cigarette smoking is a major cause of cancer of the lung. In a statement the council says that findings from 21 investigations in six countries indicate that a major part of the rising death rate from lung cancer is associated with tobacco smoking, particularly in the form of cigarettes. The most reasonable interpretation of this evidence, it is felt, is that the relationship is one of direct cause and effect. Modern publicity The hazard to health from smoking must be brought home to public by all the modern means of publicity, the MRC says. None of these, however, is likely to be so effective as the personal advice of the family and the school doctor to those in their care. Manufacturers say: Unproven The Tobacco Manufacturers' Standing Committee said: "It has not been established with any certainty whether and to what extent there may be a causal connection between smoking and cancer of the lung. At this stage any conclusions are a matter of opinion. The MRC has expressed one view. Other authorities have expressed different views. "The MRC states that the identification of several carcinogenic substances in tobacco smoke provides a rational basis for a causal relationship. Its statement does not specify the substances or the quantities in which they are found. "The manufacturers have kept in the closest touch with the work that is being done in this field. Indeed a great deal of this work has been done in the manufacturers' laboratories and has been made freely available to the MRC. The manufacturers do not know of the presence of any carcinogenic substance in tobacco smoke in quantities which conceivably could cause cancer." The Guardian, 28 June 2010 Tobacco-free Aotearoa Conference in November
If you are working in cessation, research, health promotion, policy or other areas of tobacco control – this is the place to be! An inspiring series of keynote sessions, workshops and presentations will offer delegates the chance improve their knowledge, skills and networks. The call for abstracts is now open, and abstracts should be submitted for consideration no later than 20 August. Early-bird registration closes 30 September. For more details see: www.smokefree.org.nz/conference2010. Involve 2010 – Māori keynote confirmed
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Te Rawhitiroa Bosch (Whaingaroa, Te Mauri Tau/Enviroschools) has been confirmed as the Māori keynote speaker for Involve 2010. "Kōtuia ki Te Aho Tū Roa, whiria kia ū, kia tū roa ai, mo ake tonu atu e!" Te Rawhitiroa is the National Youth Coordinator for the Enviroschools Foundation working with the Kōtuia! crew leading Te Aho Tū Roa – Kōtuia! working with rangatahi Māori in wharekura and communities around Aotearoa to connect: People to People, People to Place. A Vodafone Foundation World of Difference grant recipient and a leader of Enviroschools Youth Jam events and ReGeneration Roadtrip, he looks forward to connecting again with the whānau at Involve 2010. Please visit www.involve.org.nz for the bios of the 2010 keynote speakers – Karen Pitman and Dr Terryann Clark, including the full bio for Te Rawhitiroa Bosch. Early bird registrations Early bird registrations are open until 14 August. Visit www.involve.org.nz/index.php/registration.html to register online or email us for a registration form. If you want to register 10 or more people at once, please contact involve@nzaahd.org.nz to organise discounted registrations. If you have any enquiries, or would like to be involved in any way please email involve@nzaahd.org.nz or visit www.involve.org.nz. Recent researchClick the links below each piece for more information. Recent findings on peer group influences on adolescent smokingThis review addresses peer group influences on adolescent smoking with a particular focus on recently published longitudinal studies that have investigated the topic. Specifically, we examine the theoretical explanations for how social influence works with respect to adolescent smoking. www.springerlink.com/content/21065668905m16w3/ Effect of depression and psychosocial stressors on cessation self-efficacy in mothers who smokeThis study sought to characterise a population of tobacco-using mothers in order to identify barriers to quitting that both mirror the general population and are unique to motherhood. www.springerlink.com/content/v4p88r8v57278708 Longitudinal study of exposure to retail cigarette advertising and smoking initiationAccumulating evidence suggests widespread advertising for cigarettes at the point-of-sale encourages adolescents to smoke; however, no longitudinal study of exposure to retail tobacco advertising and smoking behaviour has been reported. This school-based survey included 1681 adolescents (aged 11–14 years) who had never smoked. One measure of exposure assessed the frequency of visiting types of stores that contain the most cigarette advertising. A more detailed measure combined data about visiting stores near school with observations of cigarette advertisements and pack displays in those stores. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/p "I'll be your cigarette – Light me up and get on with it": examining smoking imagery on YouTubeSmoking imagery on the online video sharing site YouTube is prolific and easily accessed. However, no studies have examined how this content changes across time. We studied the primary message and genre of YouTube videos about smoking across two time periods. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20634267 Utilisation of the smoking cessation medicine varenicline: an intensive post-marketing study in New ZealandThis study sought to examine the utilisation of varenicline (Champix ® ) during the first year of marketing in New Zealand and to examine how this compares with the dosing instructions recommended in the Champix ® product information. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123571880/abstract SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandQuitline defends its expenses
Quitline expenses go towards telephone support, quit smoking programmes, television, radio and print quit campaigns. Quit Group Chief Executive Paula Snowden said the service saved money in the long term. "In terms of getting people to successfully quit, our Quitline service is one of the most effective in the world," she said. "This success rate is five times higher than for those people attempting to quit cold turkey." New Zealand Herald, 1 August 2010 Whangarei council to make parks smokefree Whangarei District Council is the latest council to ban smoking in public parks. The council this week approved a smokefree policy for all its sports fields, reserves and playgrounds. It acknowledges the policy cannot be enforced, but says the aim is to support the non-smoking public and discourage smokers. Radio New Zealand, 29 July 2010 Invercargill mulls sports field smoking restriction The days of being able to puff on a cigarette while watching a game of club rugby in Invercargill may soon be a thing of the past. The Invercargill City Council has agreed to formulate a policy to make all its sports fields smokefree. Southland Times, 21 July 2010
InternationalNot starting means never having to quit
Although he tried repeatedly to quit, he rarely abstained from nicotine longer than a tortured week or two. Finally, with the help of a hypnotist and nicotine gum, at age 61 he quit for good. But 50 years of smoking took its toll. Emphysema limited his stamina for a decade, and lung cancer killed him 15 years after he smoked his last cigarette. New York Times, 19 July 2010 Smokers give smoking ban the thumbs up Health chiefs have revealed the smoking ban in pubs and workplaces is now so popular in Lancashire that even smokers think it is a good idea. Lancashire Evening Post, 20 July 2010 Hamas bans smoking by women on beach A Hamas Interior Ministry official has clarified a new prohibition on women smoking flavoured tobacco through a water pipe. The ban is "just on the beach," ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghussein said. "All the other places it's not a problem, just the beach is forbidden." AOL News, 21 July 2010 Report reveals youth smoking levels Ireland: A quarter of teenagers think they can buy cigarettes in shops despite being under age, a watchdog has revealed. The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) said the number of 15- to 18-year-olds who believe they can buy a pack of 20 has fallen from a third since an in-store advertising ban came into effect a year ago. Belfast Telegraph, 12 July 2010 New ban on tobacco products
These products include smokeless forms of tobacco such as oral and nasal snuff, electronic cigarettes, tobacco substitutes such as nicotine water, and fruit and candy-flavoured cigarettes. Most of these are not available in Singapore, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told MPs during the debate on changes to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. The Strait Times, 19 July 2010 Smoking history linked to younger breast cancer diagnoses A history of smoking is associated with a younger age at breast cancer diagnosis in white, but not black women, US research shows. "The mechanisms of possible relationships between smoking and breast cancer are not well understood," write Gary Freedman (Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and colleagues. Medwire News, 19 July 2010 Four million Malaysians addicted to smoking About four million Malaysians, or 21.5 percent of the adult population, are addicted to smoking, with almost one out of two males being smokers, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey. The statistics also showed 30 percent of cancer deaths and 90 percent of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in Malaysia were linked to smoking. Asia One, 21 July 2010 Big tobacco still going strong Some of the world's largest tobacco companies showed this week that even in a sluggish global economy they have the power to raise prices and beat earnings expectations. Marlboro cigarette maker Philip Morris International and Camel cigarette maker Reynolds American have posted higher-than-expected quarterly profits and raised their 2010 earnings forecasts. Stuff, 23 July 2010 Americans named worst for pool and beach etiquette
Travel website TripAdvisor polled more than 2000 US travellers and found that, for the second year running, Americans "take the swim cap of shame as the worst beach and pool offenders." Smoking ranked as the second-biggest pet peeve in 2009, but dropped off this year's lists. However, 83 percent think smoking should be banned around pools, while 64 per cent think it should be disallowed at the beach. Canada.Com, 26 July 2010 Queensland motorists fined $200 for smoking in cars with children More than 150 people who have continued to smoke in cars with children – putting them at risk of serious respiratory diseases – have copped $200 on-the-spot fines since January. Queensland Health said research suggested more than 30 percent of smokers with children aged under 14 continued to smoke in their cars. Daily Telegraph, 25 July 2010 One million signatures for no-smoking campaign More than 1.2 million signatures have been collected during a one-month no smoking campaign in Vietnam. The figure was released on July 22 by the Vietnam Women's Union Central Committee and the Office of the World Health Organization in Vietnam at a meeting to sum up the campaign in Hanoi. Nhan Dan, 23 July 2010 Cigarette sales, smokers decline Price increases, health concerns and restrictions on where people can light up led to an 8.1 percent drop in cigarette sales in California in the most recent fiscal year. Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2010 UN Economic and Social Council adopts resolution on tobacco use and maternal and child health
The resolution recognises the harms of tobacco use on women and children and urges Member States to "include tobacco control in their efforts to improve public health, including maternal and child health, and reduce child mortality, through protecting children and pregnant women from tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke". E-cigarettes require more suction Stronger suction is required to smoke "electronic cigarettes" – marketed as tobacco-free nicotine delivery systems – than conventional brands, with possible adverse effects on human health, researchers at the University of California report. News Room, 28 July 2010 New law: Visitors to Hong Kong can only bring 19 smokes New Hong Kong tobacco regulations state incoming passengers aged 18 years and older will be allowed to carry at most 19 cigarettes starting 1 August, according to a recent announcement by Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department. The People Daily, 29 July 2010 Tobacco manufacturers target major music festivals to reach young audience Tobacco companies are using increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques to circumvent the law and promote their brands to young people, according to health experts. Cigarette advertising is banned in the EU, but wily tobacco giants are increasingly targeting young people through social networking sites such as Facebook and at major music festivals to create a "buzz" around their products. The Guardian, 18 July 2010 QUOTABLE QUOTES"Some BAT employees are energetically promoting BAT and BAT brands on Facebook through joining and administrating groups, joining pages as fans and posting photographs of BAT events, products and promotional items." Becky Freeman, Sydney University, The Guardian, 18 July 2010
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Point-of-sale tobacco advertising works impressively well on teens – so well that federal regulators should consider barring such marketing efforts from convenience stores, gas stations and small groceries, a Stanford University School of Medicine researcher said.
Are you concerned about students, teachers and parents smoking at
school? Looking for school-based smokefree initiatives from
around the country?
The Cancer Society of New Zealand is currently looking into redeveloping and updating its tobacco control websites including the Smokefree Councils website (
The
Tobacco free Aotearoa Conference 2010 website is now up and running. The theme
of the two-day conference is 'Achieving the Vision Together', focusing on the concept of Kotahitanga (oneness or unity). The conference will be held in Auckland
on 4 and 5 November.
Involve's purpose is to provide an opportunity for people who work with young people to gather together to enhance skills and strengthen connections to promote young people's positive health and development.
Where
possible, links to full articles are provided below each story.
Quitline has received more than $40 million to maintain its services in the past five years, an Official Information Act request shows.
My husband's fate was sealed at age 11, when he smoked his first cigarette. As he put it, "I got hooked that very day."
Singapore's government has hit the tobacco industry with tighter restrictions, including a ban on alternative tobacco and nicotine products currently available abroad.
With 2010 tracking to be the warmest summer in decades – if not ever – in many parts of the world, in many cases, that means perfect strangers have to share precious real estate at public beaches and pools to cool off. But not everyone knows about the unwritten rules of waterside etiquette.
On 23 July 2010, the United Nations Economic and Social Council unanimously adopted a resolution on tobacco use and maternal and child health.