ARPHS Tobacco and Alcohol Service aims to prevent the misuse of alcohol and harm from tobacco by the promotion of social, physical and environmental strategies to improve and protect the public.
The ARPHS Health Promotion practitioners identify and monitor areas of alcohol and tobacco compliance. Outcomes are reported and support is gained through co-ordination and collaboration with regulatory and non-regulatory groups. These groups include the New Zealand Police, Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC), District Licensing Authorities, Health Sponsorship Council (HSC), Action Smoking and Health (ASH), Smoke Free Coalition, The Cancer Society and Local Authorities.
Why do we focus on Alcohol and Tobacco?
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The drinking culture in New Zealand is one that encourages excessive consumption, 52% of adults (18 years and older) have been classified as either constrained binge drinkers or uninhibited binge drinkers (
ALAC 2004).
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It is estimated that 1040 deaths occur each year due to alcohol, with the burden falling largely on males, the young and Māori (
ALAC 2005).
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Alcohol can cause a range of harm including organ damage, acute injuries and interpersonal harm. Māori suffer a disproportionate amount of harm from alcohol; one in five Māori men have indicated that alcohol is causing harm to their health (
MoH 2001).
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Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand.
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An estimated 4700 people die each year from smoking-related illnesses.
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Exposure to second-hand smoke is linked to many diseases and illnesses and is estimated to be responsible for about 350 deaths per year in New Zealand.
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There is a clear association between high smoking prevalence, ethnicity and low socio-economic position, which makes smoking a contributing factor to the health inequalities seen between Māori and non-Māori.
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The prevalence of youth smoking among Māori is almost three times that of non-Māori in the Auckland region. Female youth have a higher level of smoking than males.
A range of educational material, including pamphlets, posters and videos, is available from the ARPHS
Resource Centers.
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