Nurses promote World Smokefree Day

Media Release

28 May 2010

Nurses promote World Smokefree Day

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is preparing to celebrate World Smokefree Day – a global event that draws attention to the effects of smoking, on Monday 31 May.

NZNO kaiwhakahaere, Kerri Nuku is a member of Smokefree Nurses Aotearoa New Zealand (SNANZ) and is NZNO’s spokesperson for Smokefree Coalition Tupeka Kore Campaign. She is clear about the need for stronger action to increase quit rates.

“As health professionals, we deal first hand with the consequences of tobacco use every day. We see its effects on our patients’ physical and mental health, and the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of their whānau,” she says.

“We are well aware of the highly addictive nature of tobacco, that it causes more deaths in New Zealand than any other drug, and that it is responsible for the death of 5,000 New Zealanders each year, (4,700 smokers and 300 from second-hand smoke), of which 600 are Māori.

“I am proud to say that NZNO strongly advocates for legislation and strategies that aim to help smokers quit and to prevent our rangatahi from starting to smoke in the first place. At the moment we are asking government to eliminate tobacco retail displays in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Surveys show that tobacco displays in dairies, petrol stations, supermarkets and convenience stores make it more difficult for smokers to quit or stay quit and international evidence also shows that marketing tobacco to younger people influences the uptake of smoking. We must remove tobacco products from sight in retail outlets to protect children and young people from uptake, addiction and all the terrible health outcomes that follow.”

“Eradicating smoking is the single most important and attainable thing we can do to reduce inequalities in mortality for Māori and Pacific peoples and NZNO members are committed to supporting patients to quit and stay quit.” Kerri Nuku says.

For further information about quitting smoking, phone Quitline on 0800 778778 or visit www.quit.org.nz. More information about World Smokefree Day can be found at www.worldsmokefreeday.org.nz

ENDS

New Zealand Nurses Organisation
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is the leading professional body of nurses and nursing union in Aotearoa New Zealand, representing over 45 000 nurses and health workers. Te Runanga o Aotearoa is the arm through which our Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership is articulated. Our members include nurses, midwives, students, kaimahi hauora, health care workers and allied health professionals.
The NZNO vision is “Freed to care, Proud to nurse”. Our members enhance the health and wellbeing of all people of Aotearoa New Zealand and are united in their professional and industrial aspirations.

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