MDHB News

Public Health: Smoke-Free

To reduce the health impact of smoking on the community MidCentral Health’s Public Health Service has staff working in Smokefree Health Promotion, enforcement of the Smokefree Environments Act and assisting people to quit smoking.

ABC Smoking Cessation Approach

Smoking is a serious addiction, over half of all people who smoke cannot quit without help. About half of all people who smoke die from a smoking-related disease. On average, smokers lose 15 years of their lives.

Smoke-Free Environments

The Smokefree Environments Act 1990 aims to

Reduce the exposure of non-smokers to second-hand smoke
Regulate the marketing, advertising and promotion of tobacco products
Restrict access to smoking products by people under 18
Promote a smoke-free lifestyle

Smokefree Enforcement Officers cover the Health Protection region (Horowhenua, Tararua, Manawatu, Wanganui, Rangitikei) and deal with complaints regarding the provisions of the Act. These include:

Smoking in workplaces (including bars and restaurants)
Smoking in schools and Early Childhood Centres
Sale and supply to minors of: tobacco, herbal smoking products or toy cigarettes.
Retail displays of tobacco products
Point of sale health warnings
Sale of tobacco products packaged with other products

If you wish to make a complaint about a possible breach of the Act please contact us at the Public Health Unit on 06 350 9110.

For further information visit:
Smokefreelaw.co.nz

Smoke-Free Health Promotion

The Smokefree/ Auahi Kore Health Promotion Advisers role is to run projects and initiatives aimed at reducing the uptake of smoking in young people, encouraging smokers to quit and reducing the impact of smoking on the community. They promote Smokefree environments including homes and cars and work with marae, local bodies, sports clubs and other groups and organisations around smoke free policies.

The Smokefree Action programme which runs in many local secondary schools, encourages pupils to come up with their own ways to promote a Smokefree Lifestyle while the Public Health Service sponsorship of local intermediate school netball teams aims to keep our young girls smoke free.

For further information:

ASH (Action on Smoking and Health)
Health Sponsorship Council
NZ Cancer Society

Quit Smoking Services

Quit Smoking Services supports smokers who wish to quit smoking. The service is available to all MidCentral patients, staff and their families or whanau.

For those wishing to quit smoking or make changes in their lives (eg making cars or homes smoke free), Quit Smoking Services offer relaxed, confidential and individual coaching and can provide Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).

All MidCentral Health buildings and grounds are completely smokefree. Patients admitted to hospital can ask for nicotine replacement therapy to assist with withdrawal symptoms.

Training and information is provided to hospital staff and other health professionals in Smoking Cessation, Effective Brief Intervention (EBI) and on addiction and withdrawal.

The team can be contacted on 350 9110 or by referral from hospital staff.

Quitline website

Disclaimer:

MidCentral District Health Board is not responsible for the contents or reliability of the linked websites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. Listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over availability of the linked pages.