Quit-smoking material must step up to better reflect Australia’s 2.5 million daily smokers because, contrary to common belief, they’re not all unemployed or less educated, according to new research.
While smoking rates may be higher among disadvantaged groups, around 70 percent of daily smokers are employed, roughly 76 percent are in good physical and mental health, with over two-thirds having completed year 12.
Additionally, 92 percent are non-Indigenous, 65 percent live in major cities, and 60 percent are men.
“They need to ‘see themselves’ in material and campaigns tackling tobacco,” she argued.
“This [smoking] is everyone’s problem; it’s not just confined to one group ... often smoking becomes so stigmatised that people are doing it in secret, and they think it’s somebody else’s problem,” she told ABC radio.
She said the findings can help lessen unfair stigma and support evidence-based measures to control smoking.
“Smoking remains Australia’s leading cause of premature death and disability, so it’s vital that we better understand who smokes and the reasons why they do.”
Lead author Jessica Aw added researchers now grasp the “world-first” revelation that the smoking population resembles broader Australia.
“No other study nationally or internationally has sought to comprehensively understand this,” the ANU medical student mentioned.
She notes previous studies failed to look at who smokers “really” were as they only compared smokers with non-smokers.
“Results from previous studies have described associations with smoking such as people who smoke are more likely to be living rurally, unemployed, uneducated and have poor mental health which can contribute to stigma,” Ms. Aw said.
Inclusive Health Messaging Urged for Diverse Populations
The researchers argued health messaging should address both broad and specific populations, including Indigenous Australians, without singling out any particular group.Co-author Associate Professor Raglan Maddox said, “Effective, relevant communications should reflect the lives of smokers.”
“We need both broad messages and specific approaches for priority populations, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, while taking care not to frame it as an issue unique to one particular group,” he said.
Cancer Council Australia (CCA) also calls for a multi-strategy approach to reduce smoking-related death and disease across the country while simultaneously accelerate the decline in smoking use among Indigenous Australians.
CCA has since praised the passing of the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2023 in December, which introduced measures to discourage smoking by making tobacco products less appealing and restricting marketing to vulnerable groups.
“This legislation reflects the latest evidence and is a significant step in reducing smoking rates to less than 5 percent by 2030,” she said.
“Cancer Council encourages every member of Parliament to take this critical opportunity to protect all Australians from Big Tobacco seeking profit off their deadly products.”
