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“
Today
(May 31) on World No Tobacco Day, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
Australia is joining with health leaders worldwide to encourage health
professionals to play an active role in reducing tobacco smoking and
harm from secondhand smoke. This
year's World No Tobacco Day is dedicated to the major role of health
professionals in tobacco control, under the banner
“Health professionals against tobacco, action and answers”.
To
mark the day, ASH Australia together with the Royal Australasian
College of Physicians has produced a new factsheet, Tobacco Facts
for Physicians (online at www.ashaust.org.au/pdfs/TFacPhys0505.pdf)
which sets out the RACP’s advice on the best ways for
physicians to identify and advise smokers. ASH
also has other resources and information for pharmacists, dentists,
GPs, nurses and other health professionals at www.ashaust.org.au/lv3/Lv3informationhealthprof.htm. Tobacco
is Australia’s No. 1 preventable health problem, each year killing
around 19,000 people and costing the economy more than $21b. Says ASH
Australia Chief Executive Anne Jones: “There
are still more than 200,000 schoolchildren smoking regularly;
indigenous smoking rates remain at around 50%; and one in six women
still smoke even when pregnant. “Most
smokers want to quit - and health professionals can play a key role in
identifying, assessing and offering treatment to all smokers. Evidence
shows that even brief advice from a health professional can
increase tobacco abstinence rates up to 30%. Health
groups are urging smokers who are thinking about quitting to call the
Quitline and talk to a counsellor at no charge. The Quitline phone
number has changed to 13 QUIT (137848).
More
information about WNTD: WHO website
www.who.int/tobacco/wntd
. Comment: Anne
Jones, CEO, ASH Australia ph.
(02) 9334-1876 m. 0417-227-879 Media
inquiries:
Stafford Sanders ph.
(02) 9334-1823 m.
0412-070-194
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Page last updated 31/5/05 |
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