Welcome to the December 2005 QuitChat

In this issue:

• Helping Māori to Quit
• New empathetic campaign – Video Diaries
• Quitline programme gets thumbs up
• Quit Me Mutu advertising
• QUIT CARD NEWS
• Number of callers registered with Quitline by month
• Operation prompts war veteran to quit at 60
• Quit print ad on offer
• Quitline Caller Registrations from DHBs
• Our book voucher winner!

Helping Māori to Quit 

“It can help with Māori clients to be more direct and candid, tell it to them straight,” says Quitline Team Leader, Robyn Fox.

Quitline Team Leader Robyn Fox is passionate about helping people – especially Māori women – to quit smoking and recalls writing to the Cancer Society to offer her help when the idea of a national Quitline was first piloted.

She knows firsthand the impact of smoking on your life. Her mother, who had smoked since she was seven, finally gave up her battle with emphysema at 43, and spent most of her last years at home on oxygen. That had a huge impact on Robyn and her eight siblings, none of whom smoke.

“I have often shared the story of my mother with Māori women who ring up the Quitline, especially if they have emphysema. I tell them I feel cheated by her early death, especially when I think she never got to see or be part of the lives of her twenty-five mokopuna and twelve great-mokopuna.

“I tell them that ultimately their smoking has the biggest impact on the people they leave behind. I ask them to consider why they let smoking take control of their lives and rob them of years that they could otherwise spend enjoying their whānau.”

Smokefree homes challenging

She says one of the biggest issues facing Māori wanting to quit is that most of them will be living with smokers and/or have whānau who are smokers. So making their home smokefree can be difficult and challenging.

“We encourage them to make at least one area of their home smokefree and to ask their whānau to go outside to smoke. If this won’t work, they can choose to go outside themselves when one of their whānau or a visitor smokes.”

Another challenge for Māori quitters is how to deal with smoking at their marae. Very few marae are smokefree and those that are, don’t often enforce it because it is too hard, Robyn says. So once again they are surrounded by smokers.

Role models

“In Māoridom we don’t have many positive role models for quitting smoking. Our Its about whānau campaign was quite influential and Māori clients would ring up and say if Peter Sharples can quit, so can I. I often tell Māori clients that they can be a positive role model for their whānau – if your whānau can see you quitting then it might encourage them to quit as well.”

Robyn’s dad was also a heavy smoker all his life and died at 63 from smoking-related heart disease. On his deathbed he asked Robyn’s two daughters to quit.

“I hate it that they both smoke. I don’t want my seven grandchildren to grow up around smokers. Three of them have asthma and I have told their mum that it’s probably due to her smoking during pregnancy but she doesn’t want to hear this.”

Forced to quit

Robyn says often Māori won’t quit until their doctors tell them to, their health is seriously at risk, or they just can’t afford to smoke.

“They are often reluctant, even angry, about having to quit because they are being forced to give up something they really enjoy. Smoking for Māori is about social bonding and to take that away is very drastic.”

“It can help with Māori clients to be more direct and candid, tell it to them straight. I remember one Māori guy from Waiheke Island who rang up angry and abusive after seeing our ad on TV. He said we had no right to tell him to quit smoking.

“I was very firm with him and told him off but by the end of the call I had him on the programme. He rang back and left a message for me – tell Robyn thanks for telling me off.”

Robyn says it also helps to remember that quitting may not be a priority for Māori clients who often have many other urgent health and social issues like drugs, gambling and unemployment.

“Sometimes these other issues have to be dealt with first before their smoking is addressed.”

On a positive note though, Robyn says Māori clients, especially men to whom she has spoken regarding quitting, can be quite determined to quit despite all the obstacles.

“Once they start seeing the benefits, they find it a lot easier. It really makes our job worthwhile to see someone turn their lives around and become a non-smoker.”

A Story board image from Video Diaries, the new Quit TV campaign in development. New empathetic campaign – Video Diaries  Production is underway for a new empathetic television campaign called Video Diaries. The concept, which was chosen following concept testing, follows the lives of several smokers as they go through the process of giving up smoking. The Quit Group intends using this campaign as a way of building in relapse messages while highlighting the benefits of quitting. There has been a large response from smokers wanting to take part in the campaign and the production house is currently evaluating the applications. Filming is due to start early next year.

Quitline programme gets thumbs up 

The Quit Group has published two reports on an evaluation of the Quitline NRT programme commissioned by the Ministry of Health in 2002/2003.

The evaluation set out to provide a detailed description of the programme and to determine its appropriateness, effectiveness and accessibility. It also analysed the programme’s cost effectiveness and identified any areas for improvement.

The companion reports – Evaluation of the Quitline NRT Programme and Economic Evaluation of the Quitline NRT Programme – are available either electronically at www.quit.org.nz or in hard copy by contacting The Quit Group.

"We're currently seeking funding from the Ministry to conduct a follow-up evaluation that will look at the new Quitline service," says Michele Grigg, Quit Group Research Manager.

The lung-tar ad graphically shows the amount of tar deposited on the lungs of an average smoker over a year. Quit Me Mutu advertising  The recently launched commercial Lung/Tar will kick off the New Year with advertising running for two weeks from 15 January 2006. Lung/Tar, which is a new addition to the Every cigarette is doing you damage series, shows the amount of tar deposited on the lungs of an average smoker over a year. A 15-second version of Call the Quitline will also run during this two weeks of advertising. There will be another two-week flight of Lung/Tar and Call the Quitline running from 12 February 2006.

QUIT CARD NEWS 

Festive season not a good time to quit

There’s no need to stock up on QUIT CARDs for the Christmas closedown period, advises Steve Cook, QUIT CARDs Co-ordinator.

“This is normally a quiet time for QUIT CARD providers because it’s not a good time to quit.

“The festive season is party time when a person trying to quit would be constantly exposed to other smokers. This combined with other stresses like family and money issues would make quitting extremely difficult at this time.”

He says most experienced providers would advise clients to delay starting their quitting until later in January. However, if the client is determined to make a go of it over Christmas, by all means give them your support.

QUIT CARDs manual updated

QUIT CARDs Co-ordinator Steve Cook has updated the manual used by providers on the programme. There are minor revisions and a little more information on drug interactions and cutting patches.

Providers can download the updated manual from www.quit.org.nz (go to QUIT CARDs page).

Quitting excuses

Don’t be surprised if a client refuses patches (or even gum) because they believe they cause cancer.

“There’s still a lot of misperception out there about nicotine. Some QUIT CARD clients believe nicotine is carcinogenic and therefore patches are too,” says Steve Cook.

“Explain to them that patches contain about 30 to 50 percent the nicotine of a normal cigarette and that it is all the other substances in cigarettes that are carcinogenic, not nicotine.”

He says that often such clients are using this as an excuse and what they are really saying is that they are scared of quitting.

Monitor medication while quitting

Clients on anti-psychotic medication and insulin-dependent diabetics need to have their medication dosage closely monitored while quitting, reminds Steve Cook.

“When you smoke your metabolism works faster. Quitting causes your metabolism to slow and this will affect how your body absorbs and responds to your medication.”

Operation prompts war veteran to quit at 60 

"Smoking clogs up your brain and your arteries," says Rod Goss .

Quitting Success Story

Vietnam War veteran Rod Goss from Otaki has one clear memory of the day he was shot. He was rolling in agony on the ground waiting for medical help when an officer lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth.

During the war cigarettes were used as a remedy for pain, discomfort, stress and fear, Rod says. The military issued each solider two packs of Marlboro a day, even if they didn’t smoke. “The Yanks gave me cigarettes for keeping them out of trouble.”

In his heavy smoking days Rod went through 80 cigarettes a day. He started smoking at the age of 13 with cigarettes supplied by his father, also making a tidy profit on the side by selling cigarettes to other teenagers.

Smoking was also the norm when Rod worked in Australia as a playwright and producer. “I wouldn’t rehearse a play if I couldn’t smoke.”

Quitting trigger

It was the need to have a general anaesthetic for a minor operation that suddenly brought a stop to Rod’s lifetime of smoking. “The anaesthetist didn’t want to operate. Drowning during a minor op just didn’t seem a good way to go out.”

The challenge of quitting was compounded by the chronic and serious pain Rod’s suffered since being shot when the bullet nicked his colon. He had believed smoking helped the pain but research has convinced him smoking interferes with the pain relief and that everything he believed about smoking was “brainwashing.”

“We really believed that smoking helped you think better and kept the stress down. It’s all a myth; smoking clogs up your arteries and your brain.”

Nicotine gum helped quitting

Rod quit through the Quitline using nicotine gum, as well as advice and support from advisors. He says the advisors were friendly and supportive.

“Their ability to get on with people is really neat and it’s something that’s not always there in the medical profession.”

The major benefit of quitting for Rod has been regaining his sense of smell; going for a walk and being able to smell the grass and trees, and more energy to do the things he needs to do, such as co-ordinate the Chronic Pain Support foundation he founded in 2004.

“That felt so good, even after the first week. When you are a heavy smoker you forget how good it is to be able to do that,” he says.

Quitline Caller Registrations from DHBs 

October 2005 - November 2005

Our book voucher winner! 

Congratulations to Hinemanu Kelly from Raukawa Trust Board in Tokoroa who is the winner of our $50 book voucher for responding to our QuitChat goes electronic story in last issue.

We would welcome your feedback on our first electronic QuitChat. E-mail your comments and suggestions to penny.stjohn@quit.org.nz.

If you would like to change the e-mail address QuitChat is sent to, delete your name, or add a name to our distribution list please e-mail tracey.pirihi@quit.org.nz.