ASH Daily News for 04 August 2008

Children get help to stop smoking

Children as young as 12 are being given nicotine patches through their schools in an attempt to stop them smoking. 

Priory School and Sports College is one of several schools in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, which has signed up for the government scheme.

In February England's official NHS advisory body said pupils should get help for serious smoking problems.

One parent whose teenage son is getting help to stop smoking told the BBC the scheme was "fantastic".

Karen White's son Nicky started smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day after starting senior school.

The 13-year-old said, "When I went to senior school I thought shall I try it and I did and I got addicted so I thought it was good."

"But I thought it was horrible when I saw the pictures on the internet about lung cancer so I thought I would stop."

Nicky said he tried to stop smoking on his own but failed.

After being caught smoking in school grounds, his teachers at Priory School and Sports College contacted his mother to see if she would agree to him taking part in the scheme.

Some parents have complained that the school is interfering in their role but Karen said she supported the school's actions "100%".

She said: "I think it's really great, it's fantastic."

"Smoking is a killer, and I don't want my kids to die because of it. Everybody should be 100% behind the school."

Nicky, who gets his nicotine patches and chewing gum on prescription, said he now tries to get his friends to stop smoking.

A spokesman for Barnsley Primary Care Trust said it had helped almost 100 young people to successfully stop smoking over the past year.

He said: "Barnsley follows National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidance in supporting young people to stop smoking with advice, information and one-to-one support."

Source: BBC News, 03 August 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6xrwcd

Smoking in pregnancy increases allergy risk in infants

A Swedish research study found that children born to women who smoke during or after pregnancy face an increased risk of developing asthma like symptoms and allergies.

Dr Eva Lannerö, from the Karolinska Institute in Solna, studied data on the incidence of wheezing and allergic sensitisation among 3619 children who were monitored from birth until the age of 4 years.

The children's parents completed questionnaires on various lifestyle factors, including smoking habits during pregnancy and in the first 2 months after delivery.

Information on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was also collected when the children were aged 1, 2, and 4 years.

Dr Lannerö found that children born to women who smoked during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to suffer from recurrent wheezing and 1.8 times more likely to suffer from transient wheezing by the age of 4 years than those with mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy.

Analysis also revealed that children who were exposed to environment tobacco smoke in early life were 1.3 times more likely to become sensitised to allergens than those without such exposure.

The effect of environmental cigarette smoke on sensitisation to cat allergens was particularly strong, with children exposed to tobacco smoke being twice as likely to develop allergic sensitivity as those who were not exposed.

"This is particularly worrying as cat allergens are almost everywhere and are hard to avoid," said Dr Lannerö.

She concluded: "Our data indicate that exposure to maternal cigarette smoking [in the womb] is a risk factor for wheezing up to 4 years of age, and exposure of infants to environmental cigarette smoke increases the risk of... sensitization to indoor inhalant and food allergens."
 

Source: MedWire News, 01 August 2008  
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6h4vfh

Australia: NSW: New tobacco bans welcomed

Health groups say that all state governments should follow the lead of New South Wales and introduce tough new smoking laws which include ending of tobacco displays.

Quit Victoria's executive director Fiona Sharkie said the NSW changes, which include a ban on displaying cigarettes in shops, would limit young people's exposure to smoking.

The Australian Medical Association NSW said taking tobacco products off display would be a powerful disincentive to children.

President Brian Morton said the association also welcomed the new measures.

He added, "We hope the other states and territories which have not already done so will follow with similar laws."

Heart Foundation NSW chief executive Tony Thirlwell said smoking was the single biggest cause of heart disease and cancer.

"These measures are a major step forward in protecting young people from the harmful effects of cigarette smoke," he said today.

Putting tobacco products out of sight in shops was the most important measure in the package, which also includes a ban on buying cigarettes using shopper loyalty points, Mr Thirlwell said.

"Cigarette packets and displays are powerful forms of tobacco advertising and significantly influence the uptake of smoking among young people," he said.

"Tobacco kills 15,000 Australians every year and worryingly, nine out of ten smokers start when they are children."

The NSW laws are expected to be introduced in the spring session when parliament returns from recess.
 

Source: The Australian, 30 July 2008  
Link: http://tinyurl.com/58jbjs

South Korea: Warning pictures on cigarettes to become mandatory

A ruling Grand National Party lawmaker has proposed a revision to the public health promotion law on cigarette packaging which may see graphic warnings on cigarette packs becoming mandatory in Korea.

The GNP lawmaker suggests putting graphic images on all cigarette packs in addition to the current written warning that reads, "Smoking can cause lung cancer and other diseases." 

Stronger enforcement was also recommended, such as a year in jail for cigarette companies that fail to produce packs with the specified warnings as well as a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces.

It is an attempt by the GNP lawmaker to raise public awareness of the long-term effects of secondhand smoke and the dangers of smoking.

Source: English Chosun, 01 August 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6f2b6z