As increasing numbers of local authorities establish or consider smoke-free outdoor area policies, the University of Otago and the Cancer Society are hosting an educational forum on the subject in Wellington later this month.
Co-ordinated by ASPIRE 2025 (based at the University’s Department of Public Health) and the Cancer Society, it is specifically aimed at councillors and local government staff. It will cover critical areas of policy design, cost, enforcement, compliance, implementation and communication of smoke-free outdoor areas.
“This is an excellent opportunity for local government people to be informed by those who’ve worked with a range of councils and councillors, who have experience of introducing smoke-free outdoor areas,” says forum convenor, Dr George Thomson.
Smoke-free policies for outdoor public places are a cost-effective means of discouraging smoking, one of the major causes of disease and health inequalities, particularly for Maori. At least 30 of the 67 New Zealand territorial authorities are already adopting this approach, and have some form of ‘educational’ smoke-free policy for parks and playgrounds.
Even so, New Zealand lags behind other countries when it comes to comprehensively de-normalising smoking. For instance, many Australian cities have adopted smokefree policies for alfresco areas of cafes, outside public buildings, in pedestrian shopping malls, and at waiting areas for public transport.
“If the government’s aim of a smoke-free country by 2025 is to be achieved, further progress in smoke-free policies is required, in addition to other policies such as increased tobacco tax,” says Thomson.
Smokefree outdoor policies at a local government level will help achieve this goal, through reduced role modelling to children, and by helping smokers who have recently quit or are trying to quit.
The forum will be held at the University of Otago, Wellington on February 23, 2012. (Further information and registration: http://tinyurl.com/6owuzyh).
(Picture credit: Matt Peoples, Flickr.com)