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| Issue 151 | 18 August 2010 |
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I was lucky in that I could attend both and have the opportunity to meet some dedicated champions of tobacco control. The AKP's opening keynote speaker was MP Hone Harawira, who congratulated the AKP delegates for their commitment and leadership amongst their Māori communities with a cessation service that was by Māori for Māori. This unique service for Māori is available in most communities and I recommend to each of you in the health care workforce to take time to get to know these smoking cessation workers. Networking with your local AKP kaimahi will mean more of your clients and patients can have referrals to a kaupapa Māori service; and this will ensure more Māori have more opportunities to quit smoking. The closing keynote speaker was none other than Associate Minister of Health and Minister of Whānau Ora Tariana Turia, who had a positive and challenging message for all of us in public health: we may be at a tipping point in smoking prevalence and uptake, but this law of chaos demands our readiness for change, not for status quo. Read Tariana's speech below. At Tala Pasifika's event it was a thrill to see the Heart Foundation's Tony Duncan and Louisa Ryan, Te Hotu Manawa Māori's Moana Tane, Pacific Health Wellington's Reverend Tavita Filemoni and young Fofo Molio, and the Ministry of Pacific Affairs' Collin Tukuitonga – all seated around the event's keynote speaker Tau Henare. You'll all know by now that Tau is the Chair of the Māori Affairs Select Committee, and his address at the launch was quite the essence of tuatua tika (which means 'straight talking' in Cook Islands language). It was sobering for all of us there to be told of his experience as a cardiac arrest victim, and aspirational to hear about his newfound identity waking up, a non-smoker. All presenters acknowledged Tau, as Chair of the Māori Affairs Select Committee, as a man destined to go down in tobacco control history for leading this profound inquiry. But with true humility, Tau, renowned for his own tuatua tika, said the man history had to thank was Hone Harawira. Click here to visit Tala Pasifika's magnificent new website. Click here to download your own copy of Tuatua Tika, Straight Talk About Pacific Peoples and Smoking. Take care, Prudence Stone, Director, IN THIS ISSUE:
Speech: Aukati Kai Paipa Hui-a-tau – Hon Tariana Turia
To the hui: Aukati Kai Paipa Hui-a-Tau Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa Marae, held in Manukau, 11 August 2010. I have been thinking a lot about the science of change. For those of us who are cooks, we will be familiar with the concept of a tipping point. It's that moment when boiled sugar transforms into toffee or vegetable stock turns into gravy. In much the same way, how can we achieve the moment of wonder in everyday life when we can realize that change is imminent; the boiling point has been reached? In the context of today's hui, I am contemplating the theory of the tipping point in relation to tobacco control. What does it take to turn the tide, to spark the revolution in which people will radically adjust their behaviour, break through the ebb and flow of their daily routines to enable change to occur? Jamaican-British author, Malcolm Gladwell, in his international bestseller, described the tipping point as "that magic moment when an idea, trend or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire." I want to say to us all today – we are at that tipping point with tobacco now. It is with such pleasure that I can stand before a marae full of Aukati Kai Paipa providers, and reaffirm our potential for change. Never before have we seen the levels of support amongst politicians and the public for stronger tobacco control measures. At the very start of this year, we received the report of the 2008 Health and Lifestyles Survey conducted by the National Research Bureau which revealed overwhelming public support for ending tobacco sales. Half of the 1600 people surveyed agreed that cigarettes and tobacco should not be sold in New Zealand in ten years time; including a massive 25 percent of current smokers. Six months after that survey was reported, I was able to announce a massive surge in the numbers of smokers attempting to quit, with an increase of nearly 4000 smokers registered with Quitline and the amount of nicotine replacement therapy rising by a third. The monthly gross expenditure on nicotine replacement therapy has now hit $1.5 million – an unprecedented but very welcome advance. All of these various reports give me great confidence that we are on the fast-track to our vision of change. And I'm referring to a vision probably best expressed in the aspiration of the Smokefree Coalition "that future generations of New Zealanders will be free from exposure to tobacco products and will enjoy tobacco free lives." We must seize the moment and do everything that we can to meet the vision of a smokefree Aotearoa by 2020. Voxy, 12 August 2010 Majority of New Zealanders back tobacco sales ban – poll
Most New Zealanders support an end to commercial tobacco sales by 2020, a UMR Research survey has found. The survey, for anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), asked 750 respondents if they agreed or disagreed that, "New Zealand should be a completely smokefree nation by 2020. This means smoked tobacco would not be widely available for sale." Fifty-nine percent of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the statement, ASH said. That number was down from 64 percent of New Zealanders who support an end to tobacco sales by 2020, according to a UMR survey released in May. The results of that survey were presented to the Māori Affairs Select Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry by anti-smoking umbrella group the Smokefree Coalition, of which ASH is a member. ASH Spokesman Michael Colhoun said the survey results showed the public believed "enough is enough" and it was time for strong action to be taken on tobacco. "The momentum has built up over the past year, including the tobacco excise increase and I think we've reached a tipping point," said Mr Colhoun. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent. Stuff, 3 August 2010 Tobacco phase out would increase life expectancy and reduce inequalities
This is compared to life expectancy if smoking rates stayed the same as they were in the 2006 census. The latest research into the impact on tobacco and health has been published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. "This is a win-win situation," says lead researcher Professor Tony Blakely. "Making New Zealand free from tobacco sales not only improves everyone's life expectancy, it also substantially reduces health inequalities between Māori and non-Māori." Currently just under 50 percent of Māori smoke and around 22 percent of the whole population, causing 4500-5000 tobacco-related deaths annually. The costs of tobacco to the health system are estimated to be around $1.5 billion a year. Professor Blakely says there is growing momentum amongst the public and politicians that it's time to end the tobacco epidemic. The Māori Affairs Select Committee is about to report to Parliament with recommendations following its inquiry into the effect of the tobacco industry on Māori. "Phasing out the sale of tobacco by 2020 would be the single most important and feasible action to reduce Māori mortality and ethnic disparities in this country," said Professor Blakely. Professor Richard Edwards, co-author and lead researcher on projects looking at how to end tobacco sales in New Zealand, says we know enough about how to reduce smoking to start a ten-year countdown to zero tobacco sales. "A 'sinking lid' in tobacco imports, accompanied by massive increases in tobacco cessation activity and other supportive measures to promote quitting amongst smokers and to stop children starting, will see New Zealand effectively tobacco free by 2020." A companion paper in this issue of the Journal presents trends in survival and life tables, necessary for the above projections of life expectancy to 2040. Lead author of this companion paper, Dr Kristie Carter, reports that the differences in life expectancy between current and never smokers was around seven years during 1996-99 – the most recent period with the necessary data. If nothing is done, and smoking persists at current rates, it will become an even greater constraint on life expectancy and reduction of health inequalities in future. This research arises from the New Zealand Census-Mortality Study, funded by both the Health Research Council and the Ministry of Health. Download the article (Word 600Kb). University of Otago, Wellington media release, 13 August 2010 The New Zealand Youth Tobacco Monitor goes into the field
The New Zealand Youth Tobacco Monitor (NZYTM) – the survey of adolescent smoking attitudes and behaviours – went into the field in schools around the country on Monday 16 August. It covers three surveys that monitor trends over time:
If you receive any queries about the New Zealand Youth Tobacco Monitor, please contact Rose Trappitt (HSC Project Manager). For specific queries on the ASH component of the survey, contact Janine Paynter. Follow the moneyHow the billions of dollars that flow from smokers in poor nations to companies in rich nations greatly exceed funding for global tobacco control and what might be done about it. by Cynthia Callard The business of selling cigarettes is increasingly concentrated in the hands of five tobacco companies that collectively control almost 90 percent of the world's cigarette market, four of which are publicly traded corporations. The economic activities of these cigarette manufacturers can be monitored through their reports to shareholders and other public documents. Reports for 2008 show that the revenues of these five companies exceeded $300 billion, of which more than $160 billion was provided to governments as taxes, and that corporate earnings of the four publicly traded companies were over $25 billion, of which $14 billion was retained after corporate income taxes were paid. By contrast, funding for domestic and international tobacco control is not reliably reported. Estimated funding for global tobacco control in 2008, at $240 million, is significantly lower than resources provided to address other high-mortality global health challenges. Tobacco control has not yet benefited from the innovative finance mechanisms that are in place for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Framework Convention On Tobacco Control (FCTC) process could be used to redirect some of the earnings from transnational tobacco sales to fund FCTC implementation or other global health efforts. Tobacco Control, 11 August 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. Certificate of Achievement in Introducing Health PromotionDo you
If you say yes to any one of the above then this learning opportunity is for YOU. The Certificate of Achievement in Introducing Health Promotion (the short course) involves part-time study, two blocks of four days each. There are three short courses left for the year. Each has plenty of spaces available, so if you are interested in attending, now is the time to enrol! Wellington Auckland Whanganui Research for International Tobacco Control InternshipResearch for International Tobacco Control (RITC) works to create knowledge for the development of effective policies and programmes that will minimise the threat of tobacco production and consumption to health and human development in developing countries. RITC has supported hundreds of researchers in 64 low to middle-income countries over the past 15 years in various research areas. The intern will work with the RITC team on its broad tobacco control and development agenda and will undertake an individual research project. Candidates are expected to have strong research, analytical and writing skills, including a social science or humanities background, according to the internship eligibility requirements. Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data analysis would also be an asset, as well as French and/or Spanish language skills, depending on the geographic focus of their project. Proficiency in English is essential. Recent researchClick the links below each piece for more information. How do tobacco retail displays affect cessation attempts? Findings from a qualitative studyJ Hoek, H Gifford, G Pirikahu, G Thomson, R Edwards Background: Tobacco retail displays promote smoking experimentation among youth; however, little is known about their effect on smokers making a quit attempt. Calls to ban tobacco retail displays would be strengthened if this measure would deter initiation and support cessation. Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 individuals, from two New Zealand provincial cities, who had attempted to quit smoking in the last six months. Results: Tobacco products had high visibility, and elicited emotional and physical reactions that created ongoing temptation, complicated cessation attempts and stimulated impulse purchases. Participants strongly supported banning tobacco retail displays primarily because they thought this would reduce youth initiation, promote greater consistency with smokefree promotions and assist those attempting to quit. Conclusions: The effects of tobacco retail displays on smokers making a cessation attempt are explored. The findings are consistent with experimental and survey research, and expand a growing evidence base that supports government-mandated bans on tobacco retail displays. http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/19/4/334.abstract A qualitative case study of policy maker views about the protection of children from smoking in carsG Thomson, S Hudson, N Wilson, R Edwards Introduction: As little is known about the policy making process around smokefree car laws, we aimed to investigate policy makers' views about such laws in a setting where these have not yet been enacted. Methods: A New Zealand case study used documents and qualitative in-depth interviews with 62 national-level and District Health Board level policy makers (during 2008–2009). Results: We found very strong themes of policy maker concern for the vulnerability of children and the need for their protection from second-hand smoke. There were mixed reactions to the idea of a smokefree law for cars with children in them. Discussion: In this particular policy setting, there appear to have been assumptions by policy makers about the dominance of adult "privacy" over child protection. The lack of awareness of national-level public support for banning smoking in cars with children and of the progress elsewhere on such laws also suggests the importance of information and advocacy if such laws are to be progressed. www.sfc.org.nz/pdfs/ThomsonetalcarsNTR8-10.pdf Trends in survival and life expectancy by ethnicity, income and smoking in New Zealand: 1980s to 2000sK Carter, T Blakely, M Soeberg Survival and life expectancy are commonly used metrics to describe population health. There are two objectives to this paper: to provide an explanation of methods and data used to develop New Zealand life-tables by ethnic, income and smoking groups; and to compare cumulative survival and life expectancy trends in these subpopulations. www.sfc.org.nz/pdfs/CarterSmokinglifeexpectancyNZMJAug2010.pdf Smoker (mis)perceptions associated with pack colouring: national survey dataN Wilson, J Peace, D Weerasekera, J Hoek, R Edwards Several studies have concluded that "light" and "mild" descriptors on cigarette packs lead smokers to assume that cigarettes labelled in this way pose a lower health risk than "full flavour" or "regular" cigarettes. In response to the bans several countries have imposed on these descriptors, the tobacco industry has introduced "colour coded" packs and specific pack colours for different brand variants, a pattern that is also evident in New Zealand. As a result, smokers have been conditioned to interpret lighter pack colours (e.g. white, silver or blue) to signify "lighter" cigarettes. This is a health issue given that smokers mistakenly believe cigarettes from lightly coloured packs are less harmful and less addictive. We therefore aimed to determine how New Zealand smokers interpret cigarette pack colouring. www.sfc.org.nz/pdfs/TobaccopackagingmisperceptionsNZMJ2010.pdf Smoking cessation education increases interventions in a New Zealand hospitalThe aim of this study was to review the impact of educational and other measures on smoking cessation interventions delivered in a New Zealand hospital setting. The usage of nicotine replacement therapy for inpatients was assessed by data gathered from the hospital pharmacy for a period before and after these educational measures. www.nzma.org.nz/journal/abstract.php?id=4187 High support for a tobacco endgame by Pacific Peoples who smokeThe attitudes of smokers to tobacco control interventions is highly topical in New Zealand given the recent inquiry by the Māori Affairs Select Committee into tobacco issues. Presenters to this Committee have raised the need for a tobacco endgame strategy, and this idea has currency among Māori leadership, non-governmental organisations and amongst other researchers. www.nzma.org.nz/journal/123-1316/4174 The tobacco addiction recovery programme: initial outcome findingsTobacco addiction is a major cause of excess mortality among individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). This study examined the impact of a brief group intervention developed for individuals with SMI that integrates evidence-based and recovery-oriented strategies to address tobacco addiction. www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08839417 Support and correlates of support for banning smoking in cars with childrenSince 2006, banning smoking in cars with children has become a rapidly growing tobacco control policy. However, to date, there have been few studies examining support and correlates of support for car smoking bans. http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ckq097v1 The psychosocial characteristics of smokers keen to quitThe purpose was to determine whether psychosocial factors are associated with cessation among smokers interested in quitting. This cross-sectional study included 403 current and former smokers enrolled in a 'Quit and Win' contest. http://hpq.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/07/13/1359105310373410.abstract Effect of birth weight, maternal education and prenatal smoking on offspring intelligence at school ageTo examine the combined effect of birth weight, mothers' education and prenatal smoking on psychometrically measured intelligence at school age 1,822 children born in 1992-1999 and attending the first six grades from 45 schools representing all of the fifteen Estonian counties with information on birth weight, gestational age and mother's age, marital status, education, parity and smoking in pregnancy, and intelligence tests were studied. www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03783782 Prenatal smoking exposure and the risk of psychiatric morbidity into young adulthoodThe object here was to study the effects of prenatal smoking exposure on psychiatric morbidity and mortality among Finnish young adults by means of population-based longitudinal register data. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/67/8/841 Relevance of health warnings on cigarette packs: a psycholinguistic investigationAlthough most research on the effect of tobacco warnings has been focused on attitude changes following the presentation of tobacco warnings, this paper takes a somewhat new perspective by investigating cognitive processing of tobacco warnings by adolescents of different ages. www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a924959551~frm=abslink I suppress, therefore I smoke: The effects of thought suppression on smoking behaviourThe study presented in this article investigated the effects of suppressing thoughts of smoking in everyday life on the number of cigarettes subsequently smoked. http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/07/26/0956797610378687.abstract Women and tobacco: a fatal attractionDecades of history and experience with the tobacco industry's promotion practices clearly show that the industry has taken gender roles and norms into consideration in its market strategies for almost a century. www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/8/10-080747/en/index.html SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandMental services smoking ban fails
The board had been asked to endorse implementing its smokefree policy for mental health services and facilities, following a lengthy discussion at its hospitals advisory committee meeting, but the vote was lost on voices. Member Richard Thomson, who has spoken out repeatedly about the move to have mental health patients not permitted to leave hospital premises banned from smoking, indicated at the start of the debate he did not expect to win the argument. Otago Daily Times, 6 August 2010 InternationalSpecialist medical colleges endorse key anti-smoking measure Physicians and surgeons have strongly endorsed legislation which mandates the plain packaging of tobacco products in Australia from 1 July 2012 and have called on all Australian political parties to commit to this key health initiative. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons have condemned advertisements in the press which are critical of this key anti-smoking measure. Royal Australasian College of Surgeons media release, 5 August 2010 The tobacco industry's two worlds
"Cigarette addiction was stronger than any rational aspect of the illness," Mr Rorandelli said. The experience compelled him to investigate the tobacco industry. He wanted to look, he said, for the reality "behind a puff of smoke, behind this simple, apparently inoffensive, action." Story includes a slide show. New York Times, 4 August 2010 Tobacco firms fund anti-Labor ad campaign The Australian tobacco industry will secretly fund a $5 million anti-Labor advertising blitz cooked up with the help of Liberal Party strategists for the final two weeks of the campaign. The unprecedented election attack ads over tobacco plain packaging are being fronted by a US-style retailers group registered only last week with the Australian Securities Commission and dubbed the Alliance of Australian Retailers. Daily Telegraph, 7 August 2010 Retail group quits cigarette label campaign The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has pulled out of an alliance formed to fight the Commonwealth's plan to force tobacco manufacturers to use plain labelling on cigarette packets. In a statement published on its website, the AACS said different members of the Alliance of Australian Retailers "had different priorities". ABC News, 11 August 2010 Smoking in outdoor areas increases health risk Australia: Perth researchers have found that only two people smoking in outside areas can increase the risk of developing respiratory problems in non-smokers. Air quality tests at 28 pubs and cafes across Perth have been carried out by the Council on Smoking and Health and Curtin University, the University of Western Australia. Top News, 4 August 2010 Tobacco industry under fire
The forum accused tobacco companies of taking advantage of the less stringent tobacco control laws in Africa, thereby making it a target for tobacco product. Africa News, 2 August 2010 Africa: Good news for anti-tobacco activists Organisations involved in anti-tobacco campaigns in Sub Sahara Africa can get funding of up to $20,000 a year, for up to two years, in their efforts to stem the deadly effect of tobacco consumption on the continent. The African Tobacco Control Consortium, an alliance of about five regional public health institutions involved in the campaign against increasing use of tobacco announced it had launched a call for concept notes for Tobacco Control Action Grants. Africa News, 4 August 2010 Don't marry until boyfriend is smokefree Dr Wallace, I'm engaged to a wonderful guy. I love him with all of my heart and soul, and I told him that we would become husband and wife when I'm convinced he has eliminated his nasty habit – smoking. It's not so much I dislike the smell of smoke; it's the health hazard smoking causes for the smoker and those who are unfortunate to be close enough to breathe it. I know it would be harmful for any children in our future. Post-Tribune, 5 August 2010 Smoking ban to take effect for schools
The provincial government passed the ban in May and has announced it will be in force as of 15 August, in time for the new school year. Most schools in Saskatchewan resume operations in late August and early September. Saskatchewan already outlaws smoking in restaurants and other public places, but now will prohibit it specifically in schools and on school grounds. CBC News, 4 August 2010 Using multiple tobacco products ups hazards People who smoke cigarettes and also use other forms of tobacco have higher levels of nicotine addiction, find it more difficult to quit using tobacco, and are at greatly increased risk for tobacco-related health problems such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, warns a new study. HealthDay, 5 August 2010 Tobacco company rep spent $2.32m lobbying Altria Client Services Inc, on behalf of the America's biggest cigarette maker, spent US$2.32 million lobbying the federal government in the second quarter on issues including the budget, taxes and other issues according to a recent disclosure form. That's less than the US$3.9 million the company spent on lobbying a year earlier and the US$3.1 million it spent in the first quarter. ABC News, 10 August 2010 Don't take offence if we lecture you on how to stay alive and healthy
The Royal College of General Practitioners' call earlier this year for parents to be banned from smoking in cars carrying their children and for parents to act as role models by giving their children healthier food rather than sugary and fatty rubbish that leads to heart disease and diabetes both caused an outcry, with some even accusing me of attacking their civil liberties The Guardian, 8 August 2010 Cigarette sales dropping dramatically in New York Sales of cigarettes, once a helpful money-maker for area convenience stores, have dropped dramatically because of the recent increase in the excise tax. At One Stop Grocery on Front Street in Binghamton, sales are down 50 percent, said Manager Krista Schatz. Press Connects, 12 August 2010 Brains can be taught to control cravings, researcher finds Standard therapeutic techniques decrease cravings of cigarette smokers by regulating activity in two separate but related areas of the brain, a new study led by a Yale University researcher shows. Smokers who are taught cognitive strategies, such as thinking about the long-term consequences of smoking, show increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with cognitive control and rational thought. EurekAlert, 2 August 2010 Vancouver man walking to support abolition of tobacco industry
Povah, 57, left Victoria on 31 May, which was the World Health Organization's 23rd annual World No Tobacco Day, and is walking toward Montreal and, if he has time and the resources, possibly on to New York. Povah chose those two end-destinations because they are home to the head offices of some of the biggest cigarette producers in Canada and the United States respectively, he said. The Daily Graphic, 11 August 2010 QUOTABLE QUOTES"I believe that parents who smoke in cars carrying small children are committing a form of child abuse; I suppose the same people also smoke at home in front of their children. Evidence from the US indicates that more young children are killed by parental smoking than by all unintentional injuries combined." Steve Field, "Don't take offence if we lecture you on how to stay alive and healthy",
"Australian retailers complain that plain packaging is somehow a regulatory burden. Australia's physicians and surgeons live daily with the burden of having to tell patients they are dying from a smoking related disease. There's no comparison." Royal Australasian College of Surgeons President, Ian Civil,
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It was a week for Māori and Pacific tobacco control last week. Te Hotu Manawa Māori facilitated the Aukati Kai Paipa (AKP) training hui in Auckland, while Tala Pasifika launched its new website,
newsletter and much anticipated research report Tuatua Tika, Straight Talk
About Pacific Peoples and Smoking in Wellington. 
Māori would experience significant gains in life expectancy of about five years, and non-Māori three years if tobacco sales were ended by 2020, and the gains projected to 2040, according to latest research from the University of Otago, Wellington.
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.
Where
possible, links to full articles are provided below each story.
Moves to ban all smoking on hospital premises faltered yesterday when the Southern District Health Board voted against smokefree mental health services.
When Rocco Rorandelli's father was battling lung cancer, even chemotherapy couldn't keep him from smoking.
The tobacco industry's invasion into Africa has been described as ruthless and insidious in its pursuits of creating markets in developing countries. This emphasis was made in Maputo, Mozambique capital during a one day stakeholders' forum hosted by Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative, ATCRI, and Framework Convention Alliance, FCA.
No
smoking will be allowed in or near schools in Saskatchewan after an expanded
tobacco ban takes effect this month.
Recently, I found myself on the receiving end of some vitriolic website commentary after I backed the
Public Health Minister's call for patients to be told they are "fat" rather than "obese".
While most people are currently hiding in their air-conditioned homes, Errol Povah is running across the country to support his goal of a tobacco-free world.