'Me mutu, hei oranga mo te whānau'
Let's quit, for the wellbeing of the family

Welcome to the June 2007 QuitChat

In this issue:

• Confusion about NRT safety
• Youth texting to quit service gets go-ahead
• Under 18s can use the Quitline
• New online ads available for your website or intranet
• Helen Glasgow honoured with award
• Who's who at Quit?
• Quitline caller registrations from DHBs (January - March 2007)
• Research briefs
• Television advertising schedule

Confusion about NRT safety 

Many smokers appear to be confused about the relative safety of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Some of this confusion probably dates back to the days of cigarette advertising when low nicotine cigarettes were promoted as less damaging.

A recent United States study of people quitting smoking found that only 26 percent of respondents had used NRT and concerns about safety were a major barrier to use. Other studies have found that some smokers believe nicotine causes cancer. On the other hand they don't appreciate that it is the poisonous chemicals in tobacco smoke which are harmful, rather than the nicotine.

In fact we know that NRT is much safer than smoking and can double a smoker's chances of quitting. It would be very helpful if health professionals and other cessation providers took every opportunity to reassure patients that NRT is a safe alternative to cigarettes for smokers.

Our Medical Advisor, Peter Martin, says some patients and health professionals are concerned about NRT use for people with heart disease, although the therapy is safe, even for smokers who have already had heart attacks or who have heart disease.

Women who are pregnant should be encouraged to quit and NRT is a safe alternative for those who have difficulty quitting. Current expert opinion is that NRT can be used in pregnancy following a risk benefit discussion with the woman, Dr Martin says.

Another concern is smokers worrying about becoming addicted to NRT. While it is true that the nicotine in NRT products is addictive, it is a lot less addictive than the nicotine in cigarettes.

We would like to see Pharmac moving to subsidising the whole range of tobacco treatments so that doctors can offer them to their patients for a small co-payment. We think this would ideally include the range of NRT products, Zyban and the new product Champix. In the meantime, let's all take the time to ensure that people wanting to quit are fully informed about the benefits of using NRT.

Helen Glasgow
Executive Director

Under 18s can use the Quitline

Are you confused about the service the Quitline offers to young people under 18?

Teenagers aged 15-18 years can call the Quitline for support and information, but will need permission from a parent or other responsible support person to use nicotine patches. In cases where a young person is not living at home, a Quitline Team Leader will assess whether NRT is a good option. Quitline Advisors issue nicotine patches to under-18s in preference to gum.

Callers under the age of 15 need a parent or caregiver's permission to get support through the Quitline and they are not eligible for nicotine patches.

Young people registered on the Quitline service to quit smoking will get four support calls, with the option of an extra call if needed.

At a minimum, youth clients receive a Quit Pack containing tailored material and young Māori living in Auckland and Wellington are also sent information about the Aukati Kai Paipa service.

New online ads available for your website or intranet

Two new banner advertisements are available for organisations to place on their websites and intranets.

The banner ads highlight quitting and click through to the Quit website where people can join the online quit community.

The Quit Group will also promote the ads to large workplaces for placement on their intranets. If you would like to download the ads visit www.quit.org.nz and go to Campaigns.

Research briefs

Exercise and NRT helps women quitters

Exercise combined with NRT helps women quit smoking and delays weight gain, according to research led by the University of Western Ontario. The researchers randomised 142 inactive smokers into groups which involved variations of NRT, cognitive behaviour therapy and exercise. They found consistently higher cessation rates when exercise was combined with NRT. Compared with the cognitive behaviour therapy group, exercise participants had gained much less weight, although these differences did not hold at a 12-month follow up.

The researchers recommend that doctors and other health care professionals recommend exercise and NRT together for women quitting smoking.

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com.
Addictive Behaviours 2007 32 : 1416-1432

NZ smokefree legislation held up as model

New Zealand smokefree legislation resulted in increased quitting-related behaviour, according to recently published research. The report, published in BMC Public Health looked at Quitline data 12 months before and after the introduction of the legislation in December 2004. The researchers found there was an increase in quit activity in the months after the legislation came into force and this would suggest there is an extra opportunity for health agencies to promote quitting at such times.

BMC Public Health 2007, 7:75 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-75
Or visit www.quit.org.nz to access a copy of the article.

Evidence of declining nicotine dependency

Quit Group research has found that the proportion of highly nicotine dependent smokers calling the Quitline is dropping. Researchers Judy Li and Michele Grigg looked at evidence of changing nicotine dependency self reported to the Quitline between 2001 and 2005. They found the proportion of callers with high nicotine dependency remains high but decreased continuously over a five year period. They say the results support the idea there could be an increased proportion of hard-core smokers who do not find nicotine replacement appealing.

Journal of Smoking Cessation 2007:2(1);8-11
Or visit www.quit.org.nz to access a copy of the article.