July 23, 2018
Too much puff for smokefree target
Māori are decreasing at a far slower rate than projected, prompting calls for Māori to have a greater say in smoking cessation policies.
The Ministry of Health's annual Health and Independence Report shows Māori smoking rates have fallen by 17 percent, to 32.5 percent, compared with a goal of 50 percent by 2018 if the goal of a smokefree New Zealand by 2025 is to be achieved.
Mihi Blair, the tobacco control advocacy manager for Māori public health organisation Hāpai Te Hauora, says the Smokefree 2025 goal arose from an inquiry led by the Māori affairs select committee.
But she says this early Māori leadership in smokefree advocacy was not fully integrated into the policies which followed.
Recommendations which should be picked up include using revenue from tobacco excise to focus on targeted population groups, working with users to develop well-resourced and kaupapa driven services, and promoting harm reduction products such as vaping that focus on pathways to quit.
Hāpai also wants to reduce supply, as there is now a greater concentration of tobacco retailers in high deprivation areas where Maori are more likely to live.
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