Alcohol advertising near schools in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland.

AIM: There has long been concern about the exposure of children and young people to alcohol advertising, which places them at risk. This study aimed to measure the prevalence, type and location of alcohol advertisements within a 500-metre radius of schools in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was used to quantify alcohol advertisements within a 500-metre radius of 52 Auckland schools selected using stratified random sampling. RESULTS: Over half of all schools sampled (56%) had at least one alcohol advertisement within 500 metres, and this was highest among low-decile schools (63%). Nearby licensed premises were responsible for 75% of advertisements. CONCLUSION: Alcohol advertising near Auckland schools is common. Mechanisms available to Territorial Authorities, District Licensing Committees and the Government to restrict alcohol advertising in communities can be used to regulate areas around schools.

The WERO group stop smoking competition: main outcomes of a pre- and post- study.

BACKGROUND: One potential promising strategy for increasing smoking cessation for Maori (Indigenous New Zealanders) and New Zealand resident Pacific Island people is Quit and Win competitions. The current uncontrolled pre and post study, WERO (WERO in Maori language means challenge), differs from previous studies in that it aims to investigate if a stop smoking contest, using both within team support, external support from a team coach and cessation experts, and technology, would be effective in prompting and sustaining quitting. METHOD: Fifteen teams, recruited from urban Maori, rural Maori and urban Pacific communities, competed to win a NZ$5000 (about € 3,000, £ 2600) prize for a charity or community group of their choice. People were eligible if they were aged 18 years and over and identified as smokers. Smoking status was biochemically validated at the start and end of the 3 month competition. At 3-months post competition self-reported smoking status was collected. RESULTS: Fourteen teams with 10 contestants and one team with eight contestants were recruited. At the end of the competition the biochemically verified quit rate was 36%. The 6 months self-reported quit rate was 26%. The Pacific and rural Maori teams had high end of competition and 6 months follow-up quit rates (46% and 44%, and 36% and 29%). CONCLUSION: WERO appeared to be successful in prompting quitting among high smoking prevalence groups. WERO combined several promising strategies for supporting cessation: peer support, cessation provider support, incentives, competition and interactive internet and mobile tools. Though designed for Maori and Pacific people, WERO could potentially be effective for other family- and community-centred cultures.

An innovative team-based stop smoking competition among Maori and Pacific Island smokers: rationale and method for the study and its evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Maori and Pacific Island people have significantly higher smoking rates compared to the rest of the New Zealand population. The main aim of this paper is to describe how knowledge of Indigenous people's practices and principles can be combined with proven effective smoking cessation support into a cessation intervention appropriate for Indigenous people. METHODS/DESIGN: A literature review was conducted to identify what cultural principles and practices could be used to increase salience, and what competition elements could have an impact on efficacy of smoking cessation. The identified elements were incorporated into the design of a cessation intervention. DISCUSSION: Cultural practices incorporated into the intervention include having a holistic family or group-centred focus, inter-group competitiveness, fundraising and ritual pledging. Competition elements included are social support, pharmacotherapy use, cash prize incentives and the use of a dedicated website and iPad application. A pre-test post-test will be combined with process evaluation to evaluate if the competition results in triggering mass-quitting, utilisation of pharmacotherapy and in increasing sustained smoking cessation and to get a comprehensive understanding of the way in which they contribute to the effect. The present study is the first to describe how knowledge about cultural practices and principles can be combined with proven cessation support into a smoking cessation contest. The findings from this study are promising and further more rigorous testing is warranted.

Awareness and perceived effectiveness of smoking cessation treatments and services among New Zealand parents resident in highly deprived suburbs.

AIM: To describe the awareness and perceived effectiveness of smoking cessation treatments and services among a population of mainly Maori and Pacific parents in South Auckland, New Zealand. METHOD: Parents of pre-adolescent children from 4 schools were surveyed from 2007-2009 using a self-complete questionnaire. Awareness and perceived effectiveness of cessation treatments and services were analysed by smoking status, ethnicity, gender and age. Relative risks were calculated using log-binomial regression to establish differences between smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: Awareness of Quitline, nicotine gum, and nicotine patch was higher among smokers (94%, 91%, 90%) than non-smokers (87%, 73%, 64%). Low percentages of smokers reported cessation interventions as effective (only 41% for Quitline--the intervention perceived effective by most). Awareness of varenicline, bupropion and nortriptyline was the lowest among both smokers and non-smokers (<31%). CONCLUSION: Poor awareness and low perceived efficacy of smoking cessation treatments and services among priority groups are barriers to accelerating the reduction of smoking prevalence in New Zealand.

Health consequences of tobacco use for Maori--cessation essential for reducing inequalities in health.

AIM: Tobacco use remains the largest preventable cause of death and disease in New Zealand. The aim of this paper was to identify all known health consequences of smoking, including exposure to other people's smoke, focusing on Maori. METHOD: A review of the scientific literature, 'grey' literature, and, Government health data and reports. RESULTS: Smoking has been causally linked with cardiovascular disease (CVD), many cancers, and several respiratory diseases, and, rates are higher for Maori than non-Maori. There are many consequences for smokers loved ones, including, pregnancy and birth complications, SUDI, and increased respiratory infections, cancers and CVD for children and adults. Maori have higher rates of still-birth and SUDI. CONCLUSION: This paper summarises all health consequences, to the smoker and their family. Supporting smoking cessation among Maori, particularly women and parents, may be one of the quickest pathways to health improvements for Maori.