Smoking holds one in five back from healthy life

Media Release

30 July 2009

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) NZ

Smoking holds one in five New Zealanders back from a healthy lifestyle

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) says findings from new research that only one in seven New Zealanders has a healthy lifestyle is sign that tough new measures are needed to combat tobacco consumption.

ASH director, Ben Youdan says it is significant that smoking is included as part of the study.

“Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of premature death in New Zealand. Quitting smoking is the easiest way to improve a person’s health,” said Mr Youdan.

Around one in five New Zealanders smoke, down from 26.8 percent in 1989.

My Youdan said tremendous progress against tobacco had been made in past 20 years in New Zealand, citing the Smokefree Environments Act and its resulting changes to advertising and sponsorship as well as smokefree pubs and bars, introduced nearly five years ago.

However, he warns that the rate of decline in the smoking rate remains too slow.

ASH is campaigning to end the retail display of tobacco at the point of sale, citing it as a marketing tool used to attract more smokers.

“More can be done to tackle the smoking epidemic. It’s important that people don’t think we’ve gotten as far as we can with reducing tobacco use,” concludes Mr Youdan.

ENDS