NBPU TIS Update 4:8
28 June 2019
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Monthly Message from the National Coordinator, Prof. Tom Calma AO
As the end of the first of four years of operation of the current TIS program is days away we have much to celebrate and much to look forward to. We are in an almost unprecedented end of a financial year knowing that we have funding for the next three years and beyond subject to positive evaluation outcomes.
Over the past couple of months, we have had our national TIS workers gathering in Alice Springs, that was the best gathering we have seen to date. The showcasing of products and services was awesome and the development and information sessions were well received and all presenters need to be congratulated. Of course, this was covered in the TIS Update 4:6 and covered in TISRIC at https://tacklingsmoking.org.au/tis-workforce-information/national-tackling-indigenous-smoking-workers-workshop/.
The CEO workshop in Adelaide was equally productive with a highlight being the presentation of the issues of concern raised by workers in Alice Springs. This will be a work in progress as CEOs and senior staff consider the issues and address them as appropriate.
World No Tobacco Day was highly successful so congrats to teams and collaborators. While our efforts were covered off in TIS Update 4:7, more can be found at our generous supporter’s newsletter here.
Know the facts and target offender groups
Two issues emerged in recent weeks that I thought worth bringing to your attention to learn the facts and target offender groups. The first relates to an issue I raised in October 2018 in TIS Update 3.6 relating to the Phillip Morris International (PMI) and what they refer to as “harm reduction equalisation”. Harm reduction or harm minimisation products generally refer to e-cigarettes and vaps commonly referred to as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). In America “Big Tobacco” is promoting JUUL, an e-cig, to American Indian groups as a healthy alternative to tobacco smoking. The following article is an important read to see the tactics being used and the fight-back by the tribal group. https://no-smoke.org/tribal-sovereignty-and-e-cigarette-companies/.
Already approaches have been made to our health services through a PMI funded body in New Zealand and through the circulation of a report by a consulting group Frost and Sullivan which promotes ENDS.So if you are approached please let me know.
The second issue is what we all observe one way or another on a daily basis. We can and should develop strategies to target these groups. I know that we are all doing what we can to make sure that smoke-free messages are communicated at every opportunity. Unfortunately, situations sometimes arise where the words or actions or others can undermine these messages. I was concerned to hear recently about a local rugby league match where several committee members of one team were smoking on or near the official table, in sight of all who attended the game. While the rugby team in question is not Indigenous-specific, it has a number of Indigenous players and is seen by many Indigenous people. The President of the other team, which has a close working relationship with the regional TIS organisation, was understandably appalled at this and has committed to raise the issue through the appropriate sporting channels. Further options include strengthening TIS links to players, officials, parents and family members and for the TIS team to work with senior and junior clubs to raise awareness and to promote smoke-free signage, butt bins and designated smoking areas, as well as develop better enforcement during games.
Is this an isolated example, or is it an example of what is happening in other communities? If your organisation has experienced a similar situation, were you able to turn a damaging situation into a positive one? We’d love to hear your story.
Congratulations on a big first birthday and until next issue; stay safe, stay health and smoke-free. Rgs TOM
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We are often asked...
We are often asked what activities to use for a population health promotion approach to tackling smoking in pregnancy. We all know that staying smoke-free while pregnant is best for mum as well as giving baby the best start in life. So how can we use population health promotion methods to encourage mums to quit smoking and avoid smoky environments?
Targeting pregnant women
The evidence shows that often Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums-to-be want to quit to protect their babies, but find it hard because of a range of factors including:
- community beliefs and expectations around smoking (e.g. smoking is expected and even encouraged);
- personal beliefs about smoking (e.g. smoking is used to cope with stress);
- lack of environmental support for quitting (e.g. living with a partner and family who smoke)
This means that the activities you are already doing to promote community awareness of the importance of staying or becoming smoke-free will be important for supporting mums-to-be, even if they are not directly targeted at them. Evidence shows that activities targeted at priority populations are most effective when they are accompanied by a range of community-level activities and supported by wider national and regional policies. This is supported by World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations that best practice population health promotion activities to tackle smoking in pregnancy include:
- continuing to actively promote indoor smoke-free public places;
- promoting smoke-free environments for parks and other outdoor public spaces;
- community mobilization campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of being smoke-free (for example in homes and cars);
- health promotion campaigns that target pregnant women as a specific group, using anti-tobacco messages that will appeal directly to mums and mums-to-be.
What are the health messages for pregnant women?
Population Health Promotion messages that are tailored to mums-to-be should include information about:
- how quitting can protect baby from harmful chemicals and provide them with a healthier start in life (e.g. healthy birth weight, healthy heart, and lungs, less likely to be born too early);
- how it’s best to quit early in pregnancy, but quitting at any time will be good for baby’s health;
- the importance of having a smoke-free home and car to protect mum-to-be and baby from harmful second and third-hand smoke, and help safeguard a healthier family;
- partners (and other family members) quitting as well, to support mum be smoke-free;
- the importance of staying smoke-free once baby is born to help protect against childhood health problems such as asthma and ear disease;
- the benefits to mum of being smoke-free including feeling better and having more energy.
- best practice ways to quit during pregnancy including counselling and using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) with the support of a qualified health practitioner (e.g. GP, smoking cessation counsellor);
- where to go locally to get advice and support for quitting and having a smoke-free home and car.
Increasing access to quitting through capacity building
Regional Grants do not fund TIS teams to offer NRT to smokers or carry out one-to-one cessation support with pregnant mums. However, it is important that TIS teams are aware of best clinical practice for quitting during pregnancy so that this can inform educational campaigns – for example, local social marketing and social media campaigns. It is also important to know what services are available locally, so as to be able to link women into the support that is available.
Pregnancy is said to provide a unique opportunity for health behaviour change since the woman usually sees so many different health workers who can all reinforce the smoke-free message. Whilst we agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment, NBPU recognises that accessing services in pregnancy differs across communities. However, where mums do have contact with GPs, midwives and other health workers there is an exceptional opportunity to support change not just for mum and bub, but also for immediate and extended family. Capacity building in this area is therefore very important and WHO recommends providing training targeted at pre-natal smoking cessation for all health-care providers (GPs, midwives, nurses, and other health workers). For the TIS program some of this capacity building will be provided by iSISTAQUIT.
iSISTAQUIT
Run by academics from Newcastle University, iSISTAQUIT is primarily a training program aimed at improving the smoking cessation support given to pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. It will do this by providing best practice training to health-care workers who have contact with pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The program will include:
- self-paced online training in best practice for smoking cessation in pregnancy;
- on-line training support from other health-care practitioners;
- a treatment manual;
- additional resources to support smoking cessation care including a flipchart, a patient booklet, and a carbon monoxide meter.
The training will be supported by a social marketing campaign. iSISTAQUIT will, therefore, form an important part of the systems approach to TIS, complementing the targeted campaigns and wider community focused Population Health Promotion activities that you do.
For more information about this topic see:
TIS website: https://tacklingsmoking.org.au/introduction-to-activities/mothers-and-babies/
WHO recommendations for the prevention and management of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in pregnancy. Available to download from the WHO website: https://www.who.int/tobacco/publications/pregnancy/guidelinestobaccosmokeexposure/en/
SISTAQUIT:https://www.newcastle.edu.au/research-and-innovation/centre/cbmhr/research/sistaquit
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Yarn Up - Bring Smoking
Cessation to the Table
On Friday 14 June 2019, NBPU Manager, Desley Thompson and NBPU Project Officer for NSW, Ben Stewart attended the “Yarn Up – Bring Smoking Cessation to the Table” event that was hosted by the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW in collaboration with Centre for Aboriginal Health, Centre for Population Health and Cancer Council NSW. This a smoking cessation event was held at the Novotel on Darling Harbour in Sydney and was also attended by both community controlled and mainstream services from across New South Wales.
This was a great opportunity for services to learn about and discuss the effectiveness of the ATRAC Yarning Tool and provide recommendations during the round table style sessions plus also be part of an open discussion for services to share stories and knowledge about their own Smoking Cessation Projects.
For more information on the ATRAC Yarning Tool, check out the document via TISRIC
Or the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council website http://www.ahmrc.org.au/
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WA Visits
Wheatbelt
On Tuesday 28 May 2019, WA Project Officer Deb visited three members of the Wheatbelt team in Northam WA. The team’s staff are spread out across the Wheatbelt in the towns of Northam, Merridan, Narrogin and Moora (currently vacant).
The team have been busy and recently produced new billboards, brochures and radio commercials. On WNTD they launched a fantastic Hip Hop video with local students – check it out here. They've also been pro-active working with priority groups, including working closely with the community for the production of resources for pregnant women.
The Wheatbelt team have a strong workforce development program. Staff are undertaking studies in health promotion, social media, online training courses, and are hopeful that the whole team will be attending the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference later this year.
Daniella, the Tobacco Coordinator is now on maternity leave until January 2020. We would like to wish her all the best with the new baby and eagerly await the pics 😉
Geraldton
On Thursday 13 June, Project Officer’s Deb & Cassie has a great visit with the TIS team from Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS). This team covers a large area encompassing the Shire of Murchison and parts of the Gascoyne region in Western Australia. They also reach Carnarvon and remote communities including Mt Magnet and Meekatharra.
The GRAMS TIS team is often traveling with school visits, Family Fun Days, visits to remote communities and support groups. The GRAMS team have a strong presence in and around Geraldton with their messages on the seats at bus stops, and on the ads shown in the local cinema. Recently the team employed the services of comedian, Sean Choolburra. Check out their videos here:
L-R:Alyssa, Connie & Daniella (Wheatbelt) & Kurt, Denise, Carmel, Ashley, Vicki, Brent, Deb (GRAMS). Below: #WNTD events with Mawarnkarra
Mawarnkarra #WNTD
On World No Tobacco Day, Friday 31 May 2019, the TIS team from Marwarnkarra Health Service in Roebourne held a fantastic, well-attended event at The Ngurin Cultural Centre. This event was held between 4pm & 8pm with the Indigenous band “Red Ochre “performing their hits and some classic covers into the night.
The event was well supported by outside organisations too. Both TIS and Mission Australia held information stalls along with Roebourne PCYC who did smoke-free colouring in with the children.
A yummy traditional dinner was available which included dugong, sop sop (coconut vegies), coconut damper, chicken curry, BBQ emu steaks, curry kangaroo, kangaroo stew, braised kangaroo, kangaroo tail and damper.
The team received lots of positive feedback from the community about the day which look like it might be a permanent fixture on their calendar.
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NBPU TIS Organisation Survey #6
A big thank you to everyone who recently completed NBPU TIS Organisation Survey. We received 34 out of 37 responses! As one of the TIS Elements directly supporting TIS Teams, your comments about how well you think we're doing, and how we can do better to support you in the future is critical to our planning and very much appreciated.
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