PACIFIC ISLANDS OVERVIEW

Dr Vili Nosa Ms Stephanie Erick

OCEANIA TOBACCO CONTROL PRE-CONFERENCE 2011

BRISBANE CONVENTION CENTRE, AUSTRALIA

MONDAY 17TH OCTOBER 2011

OUR FUTURE HEALTH AND WEALTH

• Obesity and Tobacco use are two most preventable threats to the health (and wealth) of Pacific nations

• Both contribute to NCDs – the largest premature cause of death, disease and disability in the region

• Smoking young increases likelihood of lifetime use – (Pacific populations are very young)

• The fight against big tobacco is not over yet

• Smokefree environments in homes, workplaces, villages still the aim

TOBACCO USE IN NZ

• Single largest preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in NZ, declining

• Attributable Burden of Disease in PICTs?

• 5,000 deaths per year attributable to tobacco

• 1/3 Pacific adults (31%) ‘current’ smokers

• 1/5 young adults (15-19 years) are current smokers

• Rate of decline among Pacific people slowest in NZ

• Overall climate for tobacco control is very good

SMOKING PREVALENCE BY PACIFIC ETHNIC GROUP, ADULTS (NZ MOH 2006 CENSUS)

Tokelauan Cook Isl Niuean Tongan Samoan Fijian0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Total

Men

Women

YOUTH REGULAR SMOKERS BY ETHNICITY, NZ 2008-2009 (ASH SNAPSHOT SURVEY)

Samoan Cook Isl. Tongan Niuean0

5

10

15

20

25

Boys

Girls

TRENDS IN SMOKING PREVALENCE BY ETHNICITY, NZ 1999-2010

SMOKING PREVALENCE IN THE PACIFIC….

YOUTH SMOKING PREVALENCE (%) IN PICTS

PNG Palau NMI Niue Marshall Isl.

Guam Fiji Cooks Am. Samoa

Pacific (NZ)

NZ Total0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Male

Female

YOUTH SMOKING PREVALENCE IN PICTS (WHO CHIPS 2010)

Am. S

amoa

Cooks Fiji

Kiribat

i

Mar

shall

Isl.

Nauru

Niue NMI

Palau

PNG

Samoa

Solom

ons

Tokela

u

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanua

tu0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Total

Boys

Girls

ADULT SMOKING PREVALENCE IN PICTS(WHO CHIPS 2010)

Am. S

amoa

Cooks Fiji

Kiribat

i

Mar

shall

Isl.

Nauru

Niue NMI

Palau

PNG

Samoa

Solom

ons

Tokela

u

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanua

tu0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Total

Men

Women

INTERVENTIONS• FCTC ratified by most PICTs, legislation developed

• Compliance and consequences critical

• Various initiatives at local and national levels; impact ?

• Increased taxes (and bans on advertising) are effective

• Importance of regional/global actions

TOBACCO CONTROL INITIATIVES IN NIUE

• Very doable in terms of small population and country size.

• Need to establish what is going on in terms of tobacco initiatives.

• Political support you need a champion to push tobacco control progress.

• Engaging with tobacco control people at the community level.

• Develop a Tobacco control plan. i.e community consultation.

• Resource support.

SUMMARY• Youth tobacco use high/very high in the region, no evidence of

decline

• Declining use in NZ Pacific adults and young people but prevalence remains high – priorities known

• In general, tobacco use higher in girls than boys in NZ, reverse in the region, with few exceptions

• Improving precision of data with STEPS surveys etc but effective action is now crucial

• Regional Action Plan focus on Youth and interventions involving NZ and ‘home islands’?