Tobaccos Policy Analysis - Report Example

Tobacco’s Policy Analysis Student’s Name College Introduction Despite the fact that Australia has succeeded in lessening smoking pervasiveness over several years, rates of smoking within the community still remain very high. In 2010, the percentage of people above 13 years who smoked every day was 15.1. Surprisingly, smoking rate of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people turned to be more than double in comparison to the general populace. In this case, 45% of Torres Islander and Aboriginal who were beyond 14 years old in 2008, used to smoke every day. On the one hand, Australian rates of smoking among the groups that are the most socioeconomically underprivileged in the community also remain high therefore, compounding and contributing to the prevailing inequalities in health. In point of fact, via the updated National Healthcare Agreement of 2012, the Australian Governments Council devoted to the performance benchmark of decreasing the rate of national smoking to 10% of the entire populace and divide the indigenous rate of smoking by two, over the baseline of 2009. Shockingly, smoking turns to be Australia’s major cause of avoidable diseases and deaths. In addition, it accounts for more hospitalisations related-drug and demises in comparison to the combination of illicit drugs and alcohol. Smoking on huge accounts raises the risk of several diseases, like, cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases among others. Sadly, 50% of all lasting smokers die prematurely as a result of smoking. On the other hand, smoking causes a huge financial constraint to economy of Australia approximated at more than $31billion within 2004-05. Actually, it turns to be the first priority for the entire governments of Australia to reduce tobacco-associated risk within the society. Thus, this paper explores the criterion for analysing policy on tobacco in Australia. Australia’s Smoking Prevalence Actually, Australia enjoys huge strides it has made in lessening prevalence of smoking for several years (National Tobacco Strategy, 2012). In 2010, Australians aged more 13 years smoked everyday while in 2007, 16.6% of the same age group used to smoke everyday and in 1991 it was 24.3% according to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDHS) (Tore, 2013). Also, the NDHS report reveals that 15.9% Australians aged above 17 years smoked daily in 2010, a decrease from 2007’s 17.5%, and1991’s 25% (Tore, 2013). However, the rates of smoking among individuals from underprivileged class, that is, the homeless, drug and alcohol addicts, mentally ill and unemployed remain much high in comparison to the entire populace (Lu, Mackay, Niu & Peto, 2000). On the other hand, the rates of smoking of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australians in 2008 accounted more than two times when compared to those in the entire populace: As such 47.7% of them above the age of 17 smoked every day (Dudgeon, et al., 2014). Additionally, 45% of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australians above 14 years were every day smokers, ex-smokers were 20% and 33% had never attempted to smoke. Shockingly, the National studies of smoking among students of secondary school pointed out that majority of the smokers begin smoking at their teens. However, recent surveys have confirmed drastic decrease in smoking pervasiveness among the teens. Australian Policy Frameworks for Tobacco As a matter of fact, the National Drug Strategy 2010-2015 turns to be a sub-strategy that offers a structure for action to reduce the tribulations to communities, individuals and families from tobacco, alcohol together with other drugs (Mathers, Vos & Begg, 2012). As such, that approach is grounded on 3 pillars of harm reduction, supply reduction and demand reduction. The strategy bears in mind the significance of the former nationwide strategies which have been implemented since 1999. Importantly, the 2004-2009 National Tobacco Strategy emphasised a number of program areas which provided ground for action in Australia’s tobacco control. The 2004- 2009 strategy comprises of: increased messages of smoke free and quit, additional utilisation of regulation for the purposes of decreasing exposure to, the utilisation of and risks related to tobacco, tailoring services and messages for ensuring access by the underprivileged group, advancing the availability and quality of services together with medication for the smokers, offering additional support to educators, carers and parents assisting children to build up healthy lives, extra focussed assessment and research to modify programs and policies and approving policies which guard social disaffection connected to uptake of high-menace behaviours like, smoking as well as promote policies which lessen smoking as the method of catering for the underprivileged (Maddison & Dennis, 2013). That strategy accomplished significant achievements. Majority of the actions and priorities acknowledged within the 2004-2009 strategy would continue the updated strategy of 2012-2018. That strategy turns to be informed by the approaches, priorities and evidence drawn within territory and state tobacco control rules (Tania, 2014). It lays emphasis on the conclusive evidence review and the National Preventative Health Taskforce (NPHT) recommendations report of 2009 September and the government of Australia response to that report. The NPHT completed a huge process of consultation across Australia looking for opinions on the most excellent approaches of addressing problems connected to obesity, alcohol and tobacco (Tore, 2013). The recommendations of the report were 11 actions for achieving the goal of decreasing smoking to mostly less than 10% by the turn of 2018. Importantly, inclusion of majority of those actions within the strategy has been done. The targets within that strategy turn to be steady with the benchmark of performance agreed by the Government’s Council of Australia (COAG) within the 2008 State Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health together with its update of 2012 (Maddison &Dennis, 2013). That strategy as well takes consideration of the National Partnership Agreement shutting the gap within the health outcomes of the indigenous. The COAG has made an agreement to 6 high-echelon targets for shutting the gap between Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal individuals together with other Australians (Maddison & Dennis, 2013). The initial aim, shut the gap within life expectancy in a generation, turn to be directly pertinent to the State Tobacco Strategy since smoking turn to be the dominant risk feature for chronic ailment within Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people, comprising of 12% of the entire disease burden and 1/5 of casualties making endeavours for decreasing smoking within the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal populace crucial. Lastly, that strategy turns to be constant with the obligations of Australia as a member of Framework Convention on Tobacco (FCTC) and World Health Organization (WHO) (Mathers, Vos & Begg, 2012). The aim of FCTC turns to be improving global cooperation for the purposes of presenting and protecting generations to come from avoidable and devastating environmental, economic, social and health effects of consumption of tobacco and tobacco smoke exposure. Equally important, after every two years, the government of Australia tables report to the parties’ conference to the WHO FTC on development in convention implementation. Achievements and Challenges of the 2004-09 Strategy Actually, under the 2004-09 strategy, various achievements were made. In this case, the daily smoking prevalence dramatically fell among all socioeconomic and age groups (The Department of Health, 2015). For example, smoking among teenagers declined to extraordinary levels. As such, teenage smoking in 2011 attained the least levels within more than the previous 25 years, where many of the students in secondary schools (77%) proved to have not smoked any cigarettes within their lifetimes. Importantly, territories and states increasingly instituted smoke-free legislation that covered several outdoor and indoor public places, therefore guarding the children, employees and general public health. On the other hand, health warnings together with mass media campaigns on cigarette packets went on reminding smokers of health perils connected to smoking, motivated and encouraged them to give up and avoid degeneration behaviour (Fleming & Parker, 2012). Also mass media crusades assisted in shaping the wider social norms regarding smoking together with reinforcing legislative and policy changes. Interestingly, approximately 40% of the smokers in 2010 had lessened daily smoking consumption amounts and nearly 20% of the smokers had effectively quit smoking in excess of one month (Fleming & Parker, 2012). Furthermore, 29% of the smokers had attempted to quit, but they were unsuccessful. Equally important, there was considerable progress by territory and state governments in banning advertising as well as packaging at selling points as well as in restrictions enforcement on tobacco sale young Australians (Dudgeon, 2014). In point of fact, the NDSHS offers data which shows that illicit tobacco availability turn to be low in Australia. This offers support of the opinion of how successful Australia has been; in preventing the surfacing of prevalent illegal trade in tobacco like has taken place in a number of other nations. On the other hand, a number of challenges exist for control of tobacco in the future. First, tobacco-connected diseases kill roughly 15,000 Australians every year thus leaving behind mourning friends, partners, grandchildren and children (National Tobacco Strategy, 2012). This portrays that smoking rates turn to be still very high. Second, strong evidence exists of a connection between social determinants, like, family breakdown, unemployment, poverty, homelessness and drug consumption. As such, several of the features which lie behind social disadvantage also turn to be powerfully smoking uptake predictive. The other challenge is that there are insufficient policy engagements for disclosure of products. Additionally, there is the issue concerning promotion and availability of substitute delivery systems of nicotine, like, electronic cigarettes, and if the present framework of regulation turns to be offering adequate coverage of those products. The other challenge is that action implementation within that strategy would demand a dedication to sustaining prevailing partnerships and creating fresh ones (The Department of Health, 2015). Therefore, control of tobacco, similar to other initiatives of public health, demands comprehensive efforts and persistent efforts to be successful. As such, it requires enough time to fix it. Goal of the National Tobacco Strategy As a matter of fact, the goal of the Australia’s updated national tobacco strategy (2012-18) is improving health of the entire Australians through lessening the smoking pervasiveness and its related economic, social and health costs together with the inequalities it brings about (Tania, et al., 2014). The strategy has set 2018 targets’ as lessening the nationwide adult everyday rate of smoking to 10% of the populace and reduce rate of smoking by the Torres Strait and Aboriginal by two times. The baselines for the two targets turn to be outlined within the National Agreement Performance Information of 2008-09 report for the Agreement of Healthcare (Tania, et al., 2014). Those baselines turn to be national rate of adult everyday smoking in 2007-08 as 19.1% and 47.7% rate of everyday smoking by Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal adult in the year 2008. Areas of Priority and Actions for the Australian National Tobacco Strategy The first priority area involves safeguard of public health policy, together with tobacco control policies, from interference of tobacco industry (National Tobacco Policy, 2012). As such, Non-governmental organisations, state and territory governments and the government of Australia has created regulatory options and policies for implementing WHO FCTC’s Article 5.3 that relate to interference of tobacco industry in policies of public health. The other area involves reinforcing mass media crusades for the purposes of motivating smokers to give up smoking and new quitters to continue quitting; discouraging smoking uptake and refiguring social norms regarding smoking (Tania, et al., 2014). This responsibility is ensured by non-governmental organisations, state and territory governments and the Australian government. The other area involves continuing to lessen the tobacco products affordability which comprise of increasing prices. This responsibility is ensured by non-governmental organisations, state and territory governments and the Australian government. The last and not least area involves offering lager access to wide of proof-grounded cessation services to encourage smokers to give up smoking (Ko, 2013). This responsibility is ensured by non-governmental organisations, state and territory governments and the Australian government. Conclusion Though Australia possesses proven success in lessening smoking pervasiveness over several years, rates of smoking within the populace still remain very high. Surprisingly, smoking rate of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people have for years now, been the highest in comparison to the other Australians. However, via the updated National Healthcare Agreement of 2012, the Australian Governments Council devoted to the performance benchmark of decreasing the rate of national smoking to 10% of the entire populace and divide by two the indigenous rate of smoking, over the baseline of 2009. The various implemented strategies for fighting prevalent smoking have proved successful, though full control has not been achieved. References Torre, G, S. (2013). Smoking Prevention and Cessation. New York: Springer Mathers, C.D., Vos, E.T., & Begg, S., J. (2012). Year Book, Australia. Oxford: Aust. Bureau of Statistics. Tania, V., et al. (2014). Regulating Tobacco, Alcohol and Unhealthy Foods: The Legal Issues. Ma: Routledge. Ko, L, I, H. (2013). Routledge Handbook of Sport Policy. Oxford: Routledge. Maddison, S., & Dennis, R. (2013). An Introduction to Australian Public Policy: Theory and Practice. New York (N.Y): Cambridge University Press. Dudgeon, P., et al. (2014). Working Together: Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. West Perth: WA Kulunga Research Network. Lu, R., Mackay, J., Niu, S., & Peto, R. (2000). Tobacco: The Growing Epidemic: Proceedings of the Tenth World Conference on Tobacco or Health, 24-28 August 1997, Beijing, China. London: Springer London. Fleming, M, L., & Parker, E. (2012). Introduction to Public Health. Sydney: Churchill Livingstone. (2012). National Tobacco Strategy 2012-2018. Retrieved 23 April 2015 from http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/internet/drugstrategy/publishing.nsf/Content/D4E3727950BDBAE4CA257AE70003730C/$File/National%20Tobacco%20Strategy%202012-2018.pdf (2015). The Department of Health. Retrieved 23 April 2015 from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/tobacco-kff Read More