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Learning lessons
in tobacco control
Smoking is still
our biggest killer in Northern Ireland and this year alone
almost 3,000 people will die from smoking-related diseases.
Finding ways of tackling this issue is the focus of Tobacco
control - lessons and experiences, a major *seminar
being held today at Rosspark Hotel, Kells.
The Health Promotion
Agency for Northern Ireland has brought together leading experts
from around the world who have been or are currently involved
in developing successful tobacco control strategies.
Dr Greg Connolly,
Director of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program, America,
outlined the measures taken in Massachusetts which have successfully
reduced the levels of smoking over a relatively short period
of time. He said: "The Tobacco Control Program, created in
1992, had three goals: prevention of youth smoking; promoting
adult cessation; and protecting non-smokers from the dangers
of second hand smoke. Within five years of the program starting,
there was a decline of 3% among adult smokers in Massachusetts
while smoking among young people declined from 36% in 1995
to 30% in 1999.
"The Massachusetts
campaign was effective by changing social norms and personal
beliefs about the dangers of smoking and providing the necessary
treatment to adult smokers who wanted to quit. The Massachusetts
Tobacco Control Program highlights that a well funded, comprehensive,
sustained campaign can significantly reduce tobacco consumption,
and the prevalence of adult and young people smoking."
Delegates attending
the seminar include representatives from health and social
services, environmental health, education and library boards
and the voluntary sector as well as local councillors.
Rob Phipps, Regional
Health Promotion Manager at the Health Promotion Agency said:
"Evidence from existing programmes on smoking shows that the
most successful initiatives have an integrated approach, are
adequately funded and sustained over time. These programmes
combine education, public information, support for those wishing
to quit the habit and the enforcement of existing legislation.
"Today's seminar
has provided an excellent opportunity to hear at first hand
the successes of tobacco control strategies, programmes and
prevention initiatives from renowned experts in their field.
It is hoped that all those working in the area of smoking
and tobacco control in Northern Ireland will learn from this
seminar and it will assist them in their work."
The latest edition
of the Agency's quarterly journal Promoting
Health, also focuses on the issue of smoking. The
journal, Health warning: smoking is still our biggest killer,
includes articles such as Dentists against tobacco, Women,
smoking and cessation, Helping smokers stop and Australia's
national tobacco campaign success story.
END
Notes
to the editor: The
seminar speakers are detailed below:
Dr Greg Connolly is Director of the Massachusetts Tobacco
Control Program.
Jerelyn Jordan is Project Officer for the US National Tobacco
Control Program.
April Roeseler oversees local programs and evaluations as
part of the Tobacco Control Program, California.
Judith Watt is Head of the Smokefree London Programme and
a former member of the Australian Ministerial Tobacco Advisory
Group.
Stephen Woodward is Director of Protocol Management UK Ltd
and formerly Director of ASH Australia.
The seminar is
in support of Smoking
kills, A White Paper on Tobacco which sets out action
required to reduce smoking prevalence in the UK. (Published
December 1998).
*PowerPoint
presentations from this seminar are available Here.
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