Australia: Smoking rates among Aboriginal people on the decline

In 2019, the smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 40% (age and sex combined). This rate remains very high despite a decrease of almost 10% over the last 15 years, according to a new study. study by the Australian National University (ANU). For the review's co-author, ANU Associate Professor Ray Lovett, this reduction would save tens of thousands of lives.

Tobacco consumption linked to a complex environment

Tobacco use among these populations is influenced by a range of factors, including colonization[1] and its long-term consequences, racism and social insecurity, particularly in employment and education. During colonization and until the late 1960s, Indigenous people were paid for their work with tobacco and used tobacco for barter in order to adopt the same lifestyle as Europeans.[2]Tobacco is the leading cause of morbidity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To more effectively combat tobacco use, it is essential to take this context into account. These populations still face discrimination and barriers to accessing education and employment. They are also difficult to reach when it comes to raising awareness of many public health issues. These factors can contribute to smoking or make it more difficult to quit. However, the health gains that can be achieved by reducing tobacco use are significant.

Specific public policies for these populations

The study includes detailed key measures to continue the observed decline in tobacco use. In addition to national policies that apply to all Australians (such as tax increases, plain packaging and health warning labels, and the development of smoke-free places), some local policies have been implemented specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These recent policies fall within the following frameworks:

• A National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023[3]
• A National Tobacco Strategy 2012-2018 with the objective of halving the daily smoking rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, from 48% in 2008 to 24% in 2018[4].
• A National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Drug Strategy 2014-2019.[5]-[6]

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[1] van der Sterren, A., Greenhalgh, EM, Knoche, D., Winstanley, MH, Scollo, MM, & Winstanley, MH (2016). History of tobacco use among Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders Tobacco in Australia: facts and issues. Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria.

[2] Brady, M., & Long, J. (2003). Mutual exploitation?: Aboriginal Australian encounters with Europeans, Southeast Asians, and tobacco. In W. Jankowiak & D. Bradburd (Eds.), Drugs, labor and colonial expansion (pp. 31-58). Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

[3] Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. (2013). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Aging.

[4] Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs. (2012). National tobacco strategy 20Un12-2018. Canberra: National Drug Strategy.

[5] Australian Government Department of Health. (2017). National drug strategy 2017-2026. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health.

[6] Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs. (2015). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' drug strategy 2014-2019. Canberra: National Drug Strategy.

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