Improved access to smoking cessation supports and services is key to
helping smokers quit and will assist in lowering national smoking rate to
new federal target of 12% by 2011
OTTAWA, May 28 /CNW/ - Based on the results of its new report entitled
Making Quit Happen: Canada's Challenges to Smoking Cessation, The Lung
Association is calling for universally accessible smoking cessation supports
for all smokers living in Canada. "Excellent work has been done in Canada to
identify smoking cessation approaches that work to help smokers quit; however,
these approaches aren't equally available to all smokers," said Dr. Anthony
D'Urzo, family physician and director of the Primary Care Lung Clinic in
Toronto. "Access to support programs, regardless of whether a person is living
in a rural, urban or remote area, should be available to everyone who wants to
quit, as well as affordable medications, regardless of a smoker's province or
territory of residence."
The report reveals that more than 90 per cent of the estimated
five million current smokers in Canada want to quit and over half
(52 per cent) would like to be smoke-free within the next six months. For the
79 per cent of smokers who have tried to quit, an average of six quit attempts
were reported. "Nicotine addiction is complex," says Dr. D'Urzo. "What works
for one smoker will not necessarily work for another."
The report also reveals that most family physicians and allied health
professionals feel they have a role to play in their patients' smoking
cessation. In contrast, however, less than 20 per cent of family physicians
(18 per cent) and allied health professionals (16 per cent) are trained in
smoking cessation counselling. In addition, while 92 per cent of physicians
reported speaking to their patients about the need to stop smoking, only
46 per cent of patients agree that the topic has been raised by their family
doctor. This disconnect is even more pronounced in remote and rural areas
where people do not have full access to cessation supports - online, telephone
helpline, group and individual counseling.
"Physicians and other health care providers want to help their patients
butt out, so providing the right tools and training for intervention is key to
helping in the smoker's journey to stay quit," said Dr. D'Urzo.Report Key Findings
- The vast majority of smokers want to quit, but many realize that
there are barriers to staying quit.
- Only one-third of ex-smokers were successful on their first quit
attempt.
- Access to smoking cessation programs and support systems is not
universal for people living in Canada.
- Tobacco dependence is a chronic, relapsing medical condition that
requires a planned, individualized treatment approach.
- Access to different medication options is disparate and depends on
the smoker's province of residence.
- Smoking cessation medications are excluded from the majority of
public and private health plans in Canada.Smoking in Canada...at What Cost?
Smoking is linked to virtually all the major causes of death and disease
in Canada. Approximately 37,000 Canadians are expected to die this year from
tobacco related causes,(1) including over 1,000 from second hand smoke.
In health care, tobacco use costs Canada billions of dollars each year.
Despite the reduced rate of smoking, health care costs related to smoking have
increased steadily since 1966.(2) In 2002, tobacco use accounted for
$4.4 billion in direct health care costs and an additional $12.5 billion in
indirect costs such as lost productivity, longer-term disability and premature
death.(3)
Moving Toward a New National Goal
In August 2007, the federal government announced a goal for the Federal
Tobacco Control Strategy that would see the rate of smoking in Canada reduced
to 12 per cent by 2011. In addition to reducing the national smoking rate, the
Federal Tobacco Control Strategy, by 2011, also aims to:- Reduce the prevalence of smoking among 15 to 17 year olds from
15 per cent to nine per cent.
- Increase the number of adults who quit smoking by 1.5 million.
- Reduce the prevalence of Canadians exposed daily to second-hand smoke
from 28 per cent to 20 per cent.About The Lung Association
Established in 1900, The Lung Association is one of Canada's oldest and
most respected health charities, and the leading national organization for
science-based information, research, education, support programs, and advocacy
on lung heath issues. For more information on The Lung Association, please
visit www.lung.ca.NOTE TO EDITOR
About The Report
- Making Quit Happen: Canada's Challenges to Smoking Cessation was
sponsored by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer.
- In preparing Making Quit Happen: Canada's Challenges to Smoking
Cessation, The Lung Association completed an environmental scan and
analysis of the state of smoking cessation in Canada.
- In addition, Leger Marketing was engaged to determine attitudes and
experiences among health professionals (family physicians; allied
health professionals including nurses, nurse practitioners,
pharmacists, and dental hygienists) and the general population
(smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers) relative to cessation.
- Leger Marketing conducted a hybrid telephone and online survey
between February 11th, 2008 and March 8th, 2008.
- With a national sample of smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers
exposed to second-hand smoke of 4,196 respondents, results can be
considered accurate to within +/-1.5%, 19 times out of 20. The
results for the sample of 597 doctors and healthcare workers can be
considered accurate to within +/-4.0%, 19 times out of 20.
-----------------------
(1) Health Canada. Canada's New Government Announces New Goals for
Smoking Rates.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2007/2007_106_e.html.
Accessed May 2008.
(2) Kaiserman MJ, The Cost of Smoking in Canada, 1991. Chronic Diseases
in Canada. 1997; 18:1.
(3) Life and Breath: Respiratory Disease in Canada, Public Health Agency
of Canada 2007 page 14.
VNR will be available via Satellite feed at:
DATE: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
TIME: 10:00 - 10:30 AM and again at 14:00 - 14:30 Firm, Eastern
COORDINATES: Anik F2, C-Band, Transponder 7B @ 111.1 West
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FOR ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE FEED: Call 416-868-0601
For further information: or an interview, please contact: Cameron
Bishop, The Lung Association, (613) 569-6411 ext.223, cbishop@lung.ca;
Jacqueline Zonneville, Tiffany Shiu, NATIONAL Public Relations, (416)
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