ASH Daily News for 10 July 2008

Nottingham's fight to stop smoking during pregnancy

More than one in six women in Nottingham is still smoking during pregnancy despite major efforts to help them quit.

Local health bosses have revealed that 18% of mums-to-be are ignoring warnings smoking is harmful to their baby.

That figure is down from 24% when the figures where last collected three years ago.

The latest data brings the city more in line with the national picture. In England and Wales, smoking in pregnancy has fallen from 23% in 1995, to 19% in 2000 and 17% in 2005.

Health chiefs said the fall was down to the work of Nottingham New Leaf Pregnancy and Family Stop Smoking Service, which was launched three years ago when smoking among pregnant women here was significantly higher than in other parts of the country.

The service has also introduced mandatory annual smoking cessation training for all of its community midwives and support staff.

This has resulted in a big increase in referrals to the specialist service from 200 women each year to almost 1,000.

"The key to success is a partnership between the pregnant woman, the community midwives and the specialist stop smoking service New Leaf."

Once the specialist service has a pregnant woman's data, a home or clinic visit is arranged if the woman or her family has agreed to accept support.

If the woman declines support at this stage, she is left with the contact details for the specialist stop smoking service and she can refer herself at any time.

"The community midwife will then raise the issue of her smoking behaviour at each antenatal appointment."

Source: thisisnottingham, 10 July 2008  
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5hf67g

Trio of short films push anti-smoking message

Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK have teamed up to push new filmmaking talent while simultaneously tackling smoking.

The BREATHE campaign - organised by Channel 4's 4Talent, Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health (DoH) - asked aspiring directors to send in their compact cinematic ideas about smoking.

The campaign was designed to help young talent while encouraging young smokers to quit and deterring others from starting.

After a shortlist of ten short films was created from more than 1,500 entries, a team of top tobacco researchers and movie experts have selected three winners.

The trio of winners show a young man who pays to die in a slaughter house, a young girl who coughs up a lung after a night of partying and a girl who transforms into a wrinkled, unattractive old woman during a wild house party.

James Estill, senior producer for Channel 4's 4Talent said the winners had shown immense creativity to produce "messages on this notoriously difficult subject".

DJ Spoony, who has been involved in promoting the competition, called the winning entries "brilliant".

"They're hard-hitting, with clear messages that are delivered in a way that is popular with young people," he added.

"The wealth of new ideas that has been unleashed really shows how creative and talented our teenagers are. It's great that this competition is allowing teenagers to communicate with each other about the dangers of smoking."

One in four of all cancer deaths are caused by smoking, explained Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control.

"It's important that we involve teenagers in developing a relevant anti smoking campaign for a teenage audience," she commented.

"Around two thirds of smokers start before they turn 18 and it's vital we work to reduce this figure. The earlier someone starts to smoke, the more difficult it is for them to quit."

Source: inthenews, 10 July 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/677slt

Ireland: New rules for sale of cigarettes.

The Department of Health has announced stricter rules governing the sale of tobacco products are to be introduced on July 1, 2009.

From that date, retail premises will be banned from displaying tobacco products or from carrying any in store advertising of these products. Retailers will have to introduce closed containers, which dispense the tobacco products.

According to the department, the location of prominent tobacco displays in retail outlets plays a role in promoting tobacco consumption.

“Its placement in proximity to everyday consumer goods such as newspapers and sweets helps tobacco to be seen as another benign consumer product. Research shows that tobacco advertising at the point of sale is a key factor in a young person starting smoking."

The new rules, which are included in the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004, also allow for tighter controls on the location and operation of tobacco vending machines. These machines will only be permitted in licensed premises or registered clubs, where they will be activated by a token.

A register of tobacco retailers is also to be introduced.

The news was welcomed by anti-smoking group, ASH Ireland and the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC).

According to the OTC, 16% of 12-17 year olds smoke even though it is illegal for them to be sold tobacco products.

“The significance of these measures in protecting young people should not be underestimated. After all, smoking initiation is largely a childhood phenomenon. More than three-quarters of all smokers in Ireland started to smoke before they reached the age of 18,” commented OTC chief executive, Éamonn Rossi.
 

Source: Irish Health, 10 July 2008  
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5uywa4

Cigarette smoking leads to bladder cancer - need for more awareness

Even though cigarette smoking accounts for up to half of all bladder cancer cases, few people are aware of the connection - including more than three-quarters of patients who have bladder cancer, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
This knowledge vacuum suggests that urologists and other physicians need to do a much better job of telling patients about the risk of smoking and encourage them to quit, the study authors say.

Senior author James E. Montie, M.D., Valassis Professor of Urologic Oncology at the U-M Health System said, "The general public understands that cigarette smoking can lead to lung cancer, but very few people understand that it also can lead to bladder cancer."

Most patients who already had bladder cancer were, like the general public, unaware of the link between smoking and bladder cancer, the authors say. They cite one study in which only 22 percent of patients with the disease were aware that smoking was a risk factor.

Lead author Seth A. Strope, M.D., MPH, clinical lecturer in the U-M Department of Urology said, "A big gap exists between patient knowledge and their actual risk. Our study suggests that physicians must do a much better job of communicating the risk to our patients, and directing them toward smoking cessation programs."

In the United States, more than 68,000 new cases of bladder cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year. Bladder cancer is one of the most costly cancers to treat, so the burden of the disease affects not only patients and their families but also the nation's health care financing system.

The study appears in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.

Source: News-Medical-Net, 08 July 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5tfjs2

Austria parliament tightens smoking restrictions

Austria's parliament is tightening smoking restrictions in food and drink establishments. 

The law requires restaurants and bars larger than 861 square feet to create separate smoking sections. It prohibits minors and pregnant women from working in spaces where they are exposed to smoke.

Establishments smaller than 538 square feet can choose whether they go smoke-free. For those between 538 and 861 square feet, authorities will determine if the creation of a separate room is feasible. If not, owners will have to pick between the two options.

The designated areas must have special signs saying smoking is dangerous.

Source: The Guardian, 09 July 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5ju3nz