SMOKING RATES SECOND WORST IN COUNTRY

WHAT A DRAG: Local cigarette use among nation’s highest

SMOKING rates in Corio and Norlane are the second highest in the nation, with more than 30 per cent of the suburbs’ population using cigarettes, research from a health policy think tank reveals.

More than 6800 people in the area are smokers meaning rates are languishing at 1980s levels.

Analysis by the Mitchell Institute, based at Victoria University, of smoking data from 2017-18 to produce its research found rates in the poorest parts of the country are seven times that of Australia’s richest areas.

Professor Rosemary Calder from the Mitchell Institute said specific community-focused quit strategies were needed in areas where smoking rates are high.

“With modern technology, we now have the ability to target Quit campaigns to people who need it most, and direct to their phones,” Prof Calder said.

“We need to invest in these campaigns and in working with local councils, their communities and health services to ensure appropriate resourcing to support people to quit. It has been seven years since a national mass media campaign to encourage and support people to quit. Those campaigns have contributed to steep declines in the smoking rates.”

Prof Calder said early evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic showed people who smoked were at increased risk of hospitalisation and death from the virus.

“Nationally, we have recognised the need for and supported massive investment in keeping people safe and healthy from COVID-19,” Prof Calder said.

“Reducing our smoking rates amongst disadvantaged groups and communities needs to be given priority in the national response to the COVID crisis. Prior to COVID-19, smoking was already the leading cause of preventable death in Australia, killing an estimated 19,000 people a year.”

Quit Victoria director Sarah White said it was time to highlight nefarious tactics of the tobacco industry.

“The manufacturers and retailers of tobacco products and e-cigarettes are desperate to get a new generation of kids hooked on nicotine to stay in business,” Dr White said.

The Mitchell Institute study recommends policy efforts need to focus on: increased funding for mass media campaigns to influence people from disadvantage groups; incorporate smoking cessation into routine care; ensuring smoke-free legislation is well implemented; and where appropriate incorporate smoking cessation targets in government funding agreements.

By 2037 — if smoking is reduced to 5 per cent by 2025 — $1.9 billion per annum would be available for investment in the Victorian economy, according to Quit Victoria.

It said four out of five smokers want to quit, and 14 per cent of Greater Geelong residents smoke cigarettes every day. About 12 Victorians die every day because they are addicted to cigarettes.