The Forgotten Smokers

The report - Aboriginal Smoking: Issues and Responses - was commissioned by the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association as part of their Aboriginal Health Initiative. The report was released at the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service in Canberra today.

The report found that barriers to countering smoking among Aboriginal people included:

• low priority accorded to smoking because of the range of health problems that exist, their 'immediacy' and the long latency period between initial experimentation with smoking and adverse health consequences (typically 20 to 30 years);
• lack of government funding;
• high rates of smoking among Aboriginal health workers;
• insufficient people working in Aboriginal smoking prevention; and
• lack of a national coordination.

A literature review conducted as part of the study revealed that:

• 61% of indigenous people aged 25 to 44 smoke;
• Aboriginal smoking rates of up to 86% have been recorded in some areas;
• 50% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoke, compared with 25% of the Australian population; and
• 60% of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islanders reported smoking at some time during their pregnancy, compared to 20% of all mothers.

The report found that Australia's approach to addressing the issue of Aboriginal smoking has been varied. While there had been "a significant amount of planning and strategic recommendations" it was "in the actual implementation area that indigenous tobacco programs have fallen down".

The Report's principal author, Mr Ian Stewart said, "Our research shows that there has been a fragmented and patchy response to a major health problem. Smoking is one of the major contributing factors to poor health outcomes.

"The enormity of the problem is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that smoking is endemic even among Aboriginal health workers," he said.

DR KERRYN PHELPS - AMA Federal President

AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said the high smoking rates among Aboriginal people was an indication of just how badly this issue had been neglected over the years.

"While there are some innovative and well resourced programs around the country, overall this is a neglected and under-researched area.

"There is a way forward, as set out in the National Tobacco Strategy. This is now taking place some five years after recommendations were first made to the Commonwealth for national Aboriginal tobacco control strategies. The pace of change has been appallingly slow.

"We now need to press the pedal to the floor and get on with the job of reducing the impact of smoking on Aboriginal health. We need more action and more dollars.

"Significantly, the report concluded that a high degree of community control and ownership was needed for tobacco control. As the peak Aboriginal health body, NACCHO is well positioned to carry this forward. As the report says, this is a complex issue and what works in one community may not work in another. We need to be mindful of this as we move forwards.

"The AMA will be examining the report in detail and using it to help shape our lobbying initiatives," Dr Phelps said.

MR PUGGY HUNTER - NACCHO Chairperson

The Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Community Control Health Organisation, Mr Puggy Hunter, said one way for the Government to show it was serious about tackling Aboriginal smoking was by immediately funding NACCHO to undertake the Aboriginal tobacco control project.

"The project is part of the National Tobacco Strategy and yet it's been at a stand still for over six months because of bureaucratic red tape.

"The report highlights the years of neglect by governments in this area, and the lengthy delay in getting the Aboriginal tobacco control project up and running is a prime example.

"People have to start realising that while we waste time waiting for important projects like this to get off the ground, our people are dying.

"We need resources targeting Aboriginal smoking to be directed to Aboriginal community controlled health services, because they're more likely to be used by Aboriginal people.

"Aboriginal smoking problems are different and that's why communities need to be driving this process. Our high rates of smoking reflect the daily hardship, worry and stress that are all too often a part of our lives.

"NACCHO will be looking closely at the report to see what it can offer Aboriginal communities," Mr Hunter said.

MR ALAN EVANS - APMA CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Mr Alan Evans, said the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry had been strong supporters of Aboriginal health for several years, contributing $300,000 for project work - including the smoking report - over the past four years.

"Our industry is keen to do all it can to help improve the health of Aboriginal Australians and will be particularly keen to examine the findings of this report that relate to a nicotine replacement therapy.

"We will be keen to work with Aboriginal Health Services, the Government and our partners, the AMA, to make sure this serious Aboriginal health issues is properly addressed.

"We're please to have funded this report, which we hope will provide a starting point for further work that is about to take place in the National Tobacco Strategy,

"Programs funded to date through the APMA/AMA Aboriginal Health Initiative include diabetes resources, including a video and flip charts, anti-smoking posters, an Access Economics report on funding issues, the Deeble report on a needs based funding formula for Aboriginal health and a report on Aboriginal nutrition issues, which was also undertaken by Mr Ian Stewart," Mr Evans said.