Newly released New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) data for
2022/2023 show that smoking prevalence continues to
decrease, however very substantial inequities in smoking
remain. Māori continue to bear a much heavier burden of
harm from smoking than non- Māori.
University of
Otago researchers from ASPIRE Aotearoa say the findings
reinforce the necessity of implementing the key smokefree
measures included in the Smokefree Legislation, which are
currently threatened with repeal.
The researchers
unpick the data and look at the ramifications in the latest
Briefing from the Public Health Communication
Centre.
The Health Survey estimates that daily smoking
has reduced from 8.6 to 6.8%. An estimated 284,000 people
smoke daily in Aotearoa, meaning many thousands of people
will die prematurely if they continue to smoke.
The
survey found substantial inequity in smoking prevalence by
ethnicity with daily smoking almost three times among Māori
(17.1%) compared to European/other (6.1%), and will mean
health inequities due to smoking will persist for many years
to come.
Co-director of ASPIRE Aotearoa Professor
Richard Edwards says the evidence points to the need for the
measures in the Smokefree Legislation to be implemented to
accelerate the reduction in smoking prevalence, particularly
for Māori. “Reducing smoking equitably will decrease the
huge burden of ill health and avoidable death that people in
Aotearoa continue to suffer, and eliminate the health
inequities smoking imposes on Māori, as quickly as
possible.”
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“Smoking prevalence continues to
decline, but inequities do not. Retaining the key measures
New Zealand’s world-leading smokefree legislation includes
will help hundreds of thousands of people to stop smoking
and move us to being a smokefree nation as quickly as
possible.”
Associate Professor Andrew Waa,
co-director of ASPIRE, says smoking prevalence among Māori
and Pacific peoples is still far too high. “Repealing the
smokefree legislation means Māori will continue to suffer
unacceptable levels of harm due to smoked tobacco products
for many years to come.”
The NZHS is an annual
nationally representative population survey that has run
since 2011/12. It aims to sample around 14,000 adults aged
15 years and
over.
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