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Tobacco – our biggest serial
killer
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Tobacco kills over
19,000 Australians a year – causing 1 in 7 adult deaths. Latest
Death Figures from Smoking
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Smoking kills more Australians than the combined
death toll from road accidents, illicit drugs, homicide, HIV,
diabetes, breast and skin cancer.
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More than 20% of adults still
smoke - around 3.2 million Australians.
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Tobacco
smoking is the biggest single preventable cause of both cancer and
heart disease, causing more than 80% of all drug-related deaths.
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Latest
cancer report
says smoking causes 21% of all cancer deaths and 13% of all new
cases of cancer.
Impact on our health system
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In 1998, more than
142,500 Australians were hospitalised due to smoking-related
illness.
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More than 940,000 hospital patient days each
year are occupied by people with diseases caused by smoking.
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Smoking causes
one quarter of cases of low birth-weight infants, placing a heavy
burden on neonatal services.
Ridolfo,
B and Stevenson, C. Quantification
of Drug-caused Mortality and Morbidity in Australia, 1998.
AIHW, March
Smoking costs Australia a staggering
$21bn a
year
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The social costs of
smoking are conservatively estimated to be as high as $21bn a year. And who pays?
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Business and
Governments – in health care costs, absenteeism, and lost
productivity.
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Smokers – half of
all long-term smokers will eventually be killed by tobacco and half
of these will die during productive middle age, losing 20-25 years
of life.
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Non-smokers –
babies born to smoking mothers have lower birth weights and an
increased risk of SIDS and respiratory diseases. In addition,
substantial costs can be incurred where people are exposed to
tobacco smoke in workplaces and public places.
Collins
and Lapsley, ”Counting the cost: estimates of the social costs of drug
abuse in Australia in 1998-9” National Drug
Strategy Monograph series No.49, National Drug Strategy 2002.
Anti-smoking campaigns SAVE money –
and they work!
Example:
The National
Tobacco Campaign has been identified in a Commonwealth Health
Department report as the most cost-effective intervention to
reduce cancer deaths and disabilities. Based on evaluation of the
NTC’s first stage, where spending of $8.95m over six months led to
cost savings of nearly $40m, the report concludes that an effective
campaign would pay for itself four times over. See the report
here.
Australians want tobacco
control
The
National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2001, a survey of 27,000
Australians over 14 years of age, showed strong public support for
tobacco measures to reduce problems associated with smoking.
Support had increased since the previous survey in 1998 and now showed:
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91.2%
supported stricter law enforcement of illegal tobacco sales to
children
;
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85.3%
wanted smoking banned in shopping centres
;
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83.9%
wanted smoking banned in restaurants;
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66.3%
supported an immediate ban on tobacco advertising at sporting events
;
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64.3%
supported increasing tax on tobacco to discourage smoking;
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60%
wanted it made harder to buy tobacco in shops; and
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60.8%
supported smoking bans in pubs and clubs (this has since risen to
close to 70% in later surveys).
Target: bipartisan support for
“blue chip” investment
Tobacco
control is one of the best investments governments can make to enhance
health and economic well-being.
A
coalition of national health groups, including ASH Australia, The Cancer
Council Australia, National Heart Foundation, Australian Medical
Association, Thoracic Society and the Royal Australasian College of
Physicians is calling for bipartisan support to increase government
investment in tobacco control.
Based on international
experience, but taking into account Australia’s existing program and
service infrastructure, annual funding of $10 per head in Australia is
required for a comprehensive tobacco control strategy.
This represents as little as 4% of the tobacco tax revenue
contributed by smokers, or one cent per cigarette sold in Australia each
year.
More at
“Tobacco
Control is a blue chip investment in public health”, 2001
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