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Spotlight on: Dr Alex Wodak
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Dr Wodak is a physician and was the Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service, at St Vincent's Hospital, in Sydney, Australia from 1982 to 2012. He began advocating for drug law reform in 1987. Wodak is President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation and was President of the International Harm Reduction Association. Wodak also helped open Australia's first needle exchange programme and Australia’s first medically supervised injecting center in Kings Cross.
In the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to medicine and public health, particularly in the area of drug and alcohol dependency treatment, through legislative reform, and to medical education". You might have seen Dr Wodak on TV1 Breakfast show this month as we spoke about the Hāpai/ ASH/Tala Pasifika Vaping policy launch which he presented at.
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Spotlight on: Katerina Tetai
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Katerina has recently joined the Hāpai whānau for placement as part of the Social Work degree she’s studying towards at Unitec. She’ll be supporting us over the next few months with developing compassionate and progressive smokefree policies. We feel really grateful to have such a strong, intelligent wahine Māori join our tobacco control team.
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Whakaaro of the month
"Tā te tāne he karawhiu i te tewhatewha.
The role of men lies in providing and enabling the tapu of women. Men, in realising they hold the tewhatewha, should maintain the tapu of women. This also applies to vaping which is like the tewhatewha, in that it ensures the women and womb is protected for future generations"
Dame Naida Glavish at the Vaping Forum Symposium when describing the potential when Māori communities use vaping as a tool to quit smoking.
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Over the last month, the Hāpai tobacco control team has again been around the motu meeting amazing people from the sector and community. We were in Wellington hosting the Vaping Policy forum and planning for World Smokefree day with the Cancer Society. We also presented to Auckland Council on their smokefree action plan.
We have been running supply reduction haerenga hui in Kawakawa, Tamaki Makaurau, and Dunedin. It was humbling to be given the opportunity to learn from those on the ground, who were just as committed and passionate about protecting their communities from the supply of tobacco.
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Reflections from the Hāpai/ ASH/ Tala Pasifika Vaping policy forum
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On Thursday, April 4th, I was able to attend the inaugural New Zealand Vaping Policy Forum in Wellington as a part of my internship at Hāpai te Hauora. The forum was held at parliament and was co-sponsored by Hāpai te Hauora, ASH, and Tala Pasifika. The forum featured policymakers, like the Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa, as well as ex-smokers, professors, Ministry of Health representatives, Māori health advocates, and a vape company owner. It was super interesting to hear their perspectives on vaping and their ideas for policy around vaping.
Overall, speakers advocated for making vaping an accessible, affordable cessation tool. Professors and Public Health experts discussed studies surrounding the health impacts of vaping, which show that while vaping is not harmless, it is much better than smoking cigarettes. For this reason, advocates said that vape products need to be made more accessible. In the session on the current state of vaping in New Zealand, Ben Youdan of ASH and Professor Natalie Walker of the University of Auckland spoke about how vaping being taken up by non-smoking teenagers is not currently a big concern.
Overall, the forum was very interesting, and I learned a lot about vaping and its potential impacts as a cessation tool to help reach the goal of a Smokefree New Zealand by 2025- and the food provided was super yummy too!
Maddie Donovan – Student Intern
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New findings from 2017/18 NZ Health Survey inc. e-cigarette use.
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Ministry of Health released the more detailed 2017/18 NZ Health Survey data, including for the first time, e-cigarette use.
Some highlights:
- Smoking
- Daily smoking has dropped to 13.1% from 13.8% in 2016/17
- Daily smoking for Māori to 31.2% from 32.5%
- Daily smoking for Pacific to 20% from 21.8%
- E-Cigarettes
- Daily e-cigarette use is reported at 2.6%, up from 0.9% in 2015/16
- Highest daily e-cigarette use is Māori at 4.7%
- 15 to 17 years olds are 0.6%
- 18-24 years old are 4%
- The distribution of e-cigarette prevalence appears to be very similar to smoking.
- Other
- Average daily consumption continues to decline slowly
- There appears to be a gradual migration back to cigarettes form RYO as the proportion of smoking RYO is falling, and this proportion of smoking cigarettes increasing.
Explore the rest of the data here
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Merits of vaping debated at Vaping Policy Forum
Teen smoking is at an all-time low. The Associate Health Minister released this data at parliament today where she hosted a conference on vaping and e-cigarettes. Critics say vaping is also harmful, but Jenny Salesa good research will help them make robust policy decisions.
View here
Youth smoking in NZ continues to fall
Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa released new data showing that daily smoking among students (aged 14-15) has dropped below 2% for the first time. Only 1.9% of students reported daily smoking. Since 2015, the survey has also asked about youth vaping. The latest results found that only 1.8% of students use e-cigarettes or vape daily. A slight decrease from 1.9% in 2017. Less than 0.5% of students who had never smoked vape daily.
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Hāpai Te Hauora launch SUDI prevention resources
Hāpai Te Hauora National Coordination for SUDI (Sudden unexplained death in infancy) Prevention services are launching SUDI Prevention video resources for health sector workers to raise awareness around the inequities experienced by Māori whānau. General Manager, Fay Selby Law, says “every pregnancy should be a smokefree pregnancy and that’s the message we’ve got to get out there”.
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Planting seeds in fertile soil: Building safer environments for tamariki with new gambling advertising standards
The Advertising Standards Authority have made significant improvements to their Advertising Code following a review released this month. The new code provides clearer and stronger protections for children and young people as well as a greater definition of what might be considered advertising that encourages harmful gambling practices.
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Drug law overhaul urged for better Māori outcomes
Māori organisations are calling for the government to overhaul what they say are discriminatory drug laws. They are backing a new drug law reform coalition, Health not Handcuffs, started by seven health, social justice and Māori health organisations, which was launched this week. The coalition aims to remove criminal penalties for drug use and possession and move instead to a health-referral model.
Listen here
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Porirua’s outdoor smokefree areas expanded
Porirua City has expanded its smokefree areas to include beaches, the city centre, and all Council-owned and managed sites.
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Auckland Council approves innovative Smokefree Action Plan
This week, to continue delivery of Auckland council’s Smokefree Policy and Implementation Plan, the Environment and Community Committee approved an action plan to do just this; ‘Auahi kore hapori whānui – action for smokefree communities’. Hāpai te Hauora presented feedback to this plan after having formally endorsed the proposal. Hāpai feedback centered on enabling communities to be allocated equitable support relative to the need in their area; to return power to communities to determine how to use these resources, and praising the council for its progressive move to prioritise harm reduction.
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Teen smoking rate hits an all-time low
For the first time, the smoking rate for year 10 students has fallen below 2 percent. But for Māori, it's just over 5 percent - and even higher for young Māori girls, at 6 percent - according to the latest research from anti-smoking group ASH.
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Youth smoking in New Zealand continues to fall
Youth smoking in New Zealand continues to fall as ASH survey of 30,000 students also shows less than 2% use an e-cigarette or vape daily
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Can New Zealand really be smokefree by 2025?
Is the government's goal for New Zealand to be smokefree by 2025 a pipe dream? Anti-smoking groups want bold action, writes John Gerritsen.
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Listen to kids when they tell you to stop smoking
While we’re learning to listen to the younger generations on other things, it’s time to prioritise tamariki voices about our smokefree future too.
In a traditional whānau unit, kaumātua and grandparents hold the greatest responsibility for the learning and development of our young. In talking to one kaumātua recently, he shared that mokopuna, when broken down, translates to moko – your face or signature, and puna – pond or spring. That is, our young ones are the mirror image and reflection of our leaders.
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Opinion: Time for some sympathy for smokers
If we don’t achieve smokefree 2025, it’ll affect Māori more than any other part of the population. By saying it’s ‘an aspirational and difficult goal’, we’re essentially saying that saving the lives of Māori is also aspirational and difficult. If that is truly the case, then we need to try new and bolder ways of getting people to quit because current strategies are running out of puff.
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ASPIRE 2025 Recognised for Tobacco Control Excellence
On Monday the 1st of April, ASPIRE 2025 received the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand President’s Award, which recognised the research theme’s “exemplary efforts and achievements in the field of smoking cessation and tobacco control”.
Tobacco products taken from Parua Bay service station and ram raid on Four Square
Another raid on Parua Bay Gas service station with thieves targeting cigarettes again has owners Ross and Lynne Brown seriously considering axing tobacco products from their shelves.
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Vaping is attracting the support of anti-tobacco campaigners
Mel Morris tried to give up smoking using all the usual nicotine-replacement products – gum, patches, and lozenges – without any success.
Then in 2015, she joined a pilot programme in which eight Māori women used e-cigarettes (vaping) in an attempt to stop smoking. Within a few weeks of starting the Vape2Save programme set up by public health advocate Rebecca Ruwhiu-Collins, Morris felt healthier and more energetic. After eight months she was also debt-free – vaping is 90% cheaper than smoking ready-made cigarettes.
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Young Scots in poor areas more likely to encounter tobacco
Tobacco products are more likely to be found on sale in Scotland’s poorest areas rather than more affluent neighbourhoods, a new report has shown.
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Big tobacco: top US arts institutions under fire for accepting donations
Smithsonian and other leading museums continue taking tobacco donations even as others reject funds from big pharma
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McLaren’s IndyCar livery features British American Tobacco branding
McLaren Racing’s official livery for their #66 car at next month’s Indy500 is to feature British American Tobacco (BAT) branding promoting its Vuse e-cigarette. McLaren signed a multi-year deal with BAT back in February, saying the partnership would focus solely on BAT’s ‘reduced risk products’. The deal marked BAT’s return to racing after a 13-year break from sports sponsorship prompted by a Europe-wide crackdown on tobacco advertising.
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Tobacco groups seek to overturn Australia’s vaping ban
Big tobacco companies are seeking to overturn Australia’s ban on vaping in a bid to prise open one of the last untapped developed markets for the $25bn-a-year e-cigarette industry. Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have made submissions to an Australian parliamentary inquiry that is considering whether e-cigarettes should be legalised.
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How social media is helping Big Tobacco hook a new generation of smokers
Big Tobacco is increasingly using social media to find new ways to hook young people on smoking, circumventing decades of laws restricting the marketing of traditional cigarettes to minors. In major cities around the world such as Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Jakarta and Milan, tobacco companies have been holding extravagant events with names like “K_Player” and “RedMoveNow” that were designed to connect with young people. Often featuring alcohol, live music, and attractive hosts, these lavish events spare no expense as they seek to find new buyers for their tobacco products.
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Malaysian regulations on tobacco products to be introduced by year-end
A new law understood to be the Tobacco Control Act will be introduced by the end of the year, covering regulations on all tobacco-related products. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad said that the ministry is in the progress of drafting the new law to also include regulations on no-smoking zones.
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Tobacco released for sale in New Zealand 2018
The Ministry of Health released a new infographic on tobacco released for sale in 2018.
A few key points:
- Between 2017 – 2018, the number of cigarettes consumed decreased by 4% while roll-your-own tobacco consumed dropped 3% in the same period.
- Between 2010 and 2018 tobacco consumption decreased by 39.2% and between 2017 - 2018 decreased by 6%
- In 2018 a pack of 20 cigarettes ranged in price from $22.50 to $33.00 and in the same period a 30gm pack of roll-your-own tobacco ranged in price from $46.00 to $63.90
Download the infographic here
Teen smoking at lowest level
New research showing a record low in smoking among New Zealand students and a decrease in the uptake of vaping was announced today by Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa in a speech to the Vaping Policy Forum at Parliament.
"Action for Smokefree 2025 (ASH) has released its 2018 Year 10 Snapshot which surveyed almost 29,000 Year 10 students on their smoking behaviours and attitudes. The data shows just 1.9 per cent of Year 10 students smoke on a daily basis."
“This is the first time the rate has fallen below 2 percent. That’s a dramatic drop from the 15.2 percent of students twenty years ago who said they smoked on a daily basis,” says Jenny Salesa.
“More than 81 percent of those surveyed haven’t smoked at all – not even a few puffs.
“The latest findings show the Government is making progress towards our Smokefree 2025 goal and delivering on our plan to build healthier communities and improve wellbeing.
“This is really good news but we still have more work to do to achieve equity amongst all New Zealand teenagers.
“Almost 6 percent of Māori girls who took part in the survey tell us they smoke daily and while that rate has decreased, it’s still higher than the overall rate of 1.9%.
“That needs to change and the gaps need to close. The Government is absolutely committed to doing as much as it can to achieve our Smokefree 2025 goal.
“According to the ASH survey, Year 10 vaping in New Zealand remains low, and largely among students who smoke. There is still no evidence to suggest vaping is a gateway to cigarette smoking.
“Only 0.5 percent of students who have never smoked vape daily – a drop from 0.8 percent in 2017.
“It is very important to me to that children continue to be protected from taking up smoking and vaping.
“I have recently announced amendments to the Smoke-free Environments Act to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children and to support smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives.
“I am also focused on developing an action plan to achieve our Smokefree 2025 goal. It is my intention that a full suite of possible actions is considered, and that a draft action plan will be available for public consultation by the end of this year.”
Impact of the NHS Stop Smoking Services on smoking prevalence in England: a simulation modeling evaluation
The English National Health Service NHS Stop Smoking Services (SSS), established in 2001, were the first such services in the world. An appropriate evaluation of the SSS has national and international significance. This modeling study sought to evaluate the impact of the SSS on changes in smoking prevalence in England.
Results: Smoking prevalence was reduced by 10.8 % in absolute terms during 2001–2016 in England and 15.3 % of the reduction could be attributable to the SSS. The proportion of SSS supported quit attempts increased from 5.5 % in 2001 to as high as 18.9 % in 2011 and then reduced to 8.2 % in 2016. Quit attempts with SSS support had a higher success rate than those without SSS support (15.1% vs 11.3%). Smoking prevalence in England continued to decline after the SSS was much reduced from 2013 onwards.
Conclusions: Approximately 15% of the percentage point reduction in smoking prevalence during 2001–2016 in England may be attributable to the NHS SSS, although uncertainty remains regarding the actual impact of the formal smoking cessation services
Read Here
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National Addiction Research Symposium
11 June - 9:00am - 5:00pm
This event is a collaboration between the University of Auckland, University of Otago - Christchurch, Victoria University, Massey University, Auckland University of Technology and Matua Raḵi.
The objectives of the Addiction Research Symposium are to:
- provide a forum for New Zealand addiction researchers from all disciplines to meet and share their work
- provide an opportunity for research students (PHD, Master's) to present and be supported by experienced colleagues
- allow for focused discussions on issues of common interest to addiction researchers, including potential collaborations.
Topics span issues of interventions, public health, gambling, smoking cessation, opioids and more.
The programme will be available shortly
Save the date: SRNT-O
24-25 October 2019
Sydney, Australia
Oceania Tobacco Control Conference
22-24 October 2019
Sydney, Australia.
Held biennially, OTCC provides a unique opportunity for a ‘meeting of minds’, bringing together tobacco control researchers, advocates, policy makers and program administrators from Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island nations. This year's theme is 'Making Tobacco Control a Priority'.
Certificate of Achievement in Introducing Health Promotion
Apply now to gain your Certificate of Achievement in Introducing Health Promotion. Enrollment Applications need to be submitted before the course start date... that's just two weeks away!
Location: DUNEDIN
Date: BLOCK ONE: Tuesday 7 - Friday 10 May 2019
BLOCK TWO: Tuesday 4 - Friday 7 June 2019
Venue: Do you have a training room available?
Cost: $512.50 Members and Non Members
(All prices inclusive of GST). Please note terms and conditions apply to cancellations.
A limited number of Scholarships are available. Please contact us by email to emma@hauora.co.nz or phone 09 300 3734 for an application or for more information. Criteria conditions apply.
To Enrol: Complete the online registration or contact us for an Enrolment Application form.
This interactive course relates theory to students' own experiences, knowledge, and skills and is fun. It is part-time, with two, four-day blocks "on course".
This course is a joint venture between Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand (HPF) and Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT)
Read more and enroll here
‘Vaping to Stop Smoking’ - save the date
10 am - 3 pm, Wednesday 29 May
64 McFaddens Rd, St Albans, Christchurch
This is a seminar to be held in Christchurch, jointly hosted by Smokefree Canterbury and the Health Promotion Agency. This seminar is open to those who are working toward New Zealand's Smokefree 2025 goal.
The programme will cover:
- Vaping: An evidence update
- Smokefree environments panel discussion
- Some local real-life examples & case studies of those who have successfully vaped to quit
- Learnings from the Health Promotion Agency’s work around increasing public awareness of vaping as a way to quit smoking
- Hear from the Ministry of Health about the proposed amendments to the Smoke-free Environments Act, the legislative process and the projected timelines for this.
The final programme and registration details yet to come. We will advise when registrations are open.
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