Call to action to quit

23 May 2016

Call to action to quit

West Coast smokers are being urged to quit for the sake of their family and to protect them from the dangers of second hand smoke.

What better time to do it than World Smokefree Day: Tuesday 31 May?

In New Zealand 5000 people a year die from smoking. The World Health Organisation says tobacco kills up to half of users – about six million people worldwide each year. Globally 600,000 are killed by passive (second hand) smoke.

West Coast Medical Officer of Health Dr Cheryl Brunton says about 80 per cent of smokers regret starting smoking and 65 per cent had tried to quit in the past five years.

According to the last Census the smoking rate in New Zealand in 2013 was 15.1 per cent. West Coast’s was 20.5 per cent, which comes to 4,794 smokers in the West Coast area, Dr Brunton says.

“Most smokers want to quit, and there are immediate and long-term health benefits for those who do,” Dr Brunton says. “The risk of premature death from smoking decreases soon after someone quits smoking and continues to do so for at least 10 to 15 years.”

Dr Brunton says another massive incentive to quitting is saving money.

“We are not talking small amounts here – someone smoking a pack a day spends about $160 a week on cigarettes, which is nearly $8,500 each year. With the money saved from stopping smoking you could go on holiday, buy a car, put it towards your mortgage.”

Help for quitting can be found locally through Aukati Kaipaipa (03 768 1160), the DHB Stop Smoking Service (03 769 7488 for Greymouth and Hokitika; 03 788 9238 for Westport), the low-cost Coast Quit programme provided by all medical centres and health clinics, plus the pharmacies in Greymouth and Hokitika; and nationally via Quitline 0800 778 778. New Zealand has a goal of being Smokefree by 2025.

The objectives of World Smokefree Day in New Zealand are:
Raising awareness and contributing to the achievement of the Smokefree 2025 goal.

Enabling better collaboration, planning and coordination of work within regions and across the country.

Raising awareness of the smokefree kaupapa with the underlying objectives of reducing exposure to second-hand smoke and increasing quit attempts.
Building on and complementing current work in tobacco control.

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