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ASH Daily News

Tuesday 19 October, 1999

Headlines

Heart Disease: Stalks the UK Population
‘African ministers call for tighter tobacco control legislation’
‘Government to tackle smokers rather than the tobacco companies’
Addiction: Report on brief intervention techniques to change smoking
patterns within police officers.


Full Text

Heart Disease: Stalks the UK Population

Coronary heart disease kills 130,000-150,000 people a year, including
nearly 21,000 before they reach the age of 65 writes Sarah Boseley.
It is also a major cause of disability with about 1.4 million people
suffering from angina.

‘Yet, frustratingly for public health campaigners, heart disease is
largely preventable. Smoking, a poor diet high in animal fats and low
in fruit and vegetables, being overweight and lack of exercise are big
risk factors’ adds the article.

Source: The Guardian, 19 October 1999

‘African ministers call for tighter tobacco control legislation’

African health ministers expressed alarm at the increase in tobacco
consumption in Africa at a World Health Organisation meeting in Lome,
Togo, on October 8. The ministers urged their governments to implement
strict anti-tobacco legislation and to review the sponsorship of
cultural and sports events by the tobacco industry.

The article continues that ‘Conference participants heard that tobacco
consumption in Africa has increased by 2.3% in the past year and that
most of the 10 million tobacco related deaths by 2030 will be in
developing countries.’

Source: Lancet, Vol. 354, p. 1366, 16 October 1999

‘Government to tackle smokers rather than the tobacco companies’

John Tylee writes on the Government’s £50 million new spending
campaign that it will be a tough advertising brief to crack and the
situation, where ‘teenage smokers delight in defying appeals not to
put their lives at risk’ and ‘older tobacco addicts, especially those
stuck on the 16th floor of an inner city tower block, resent
officialdom’s attempts to deny one of the pleasures left to them.’

There are several things going in new advertising campaign’s favour
though. The advertising ban, due to come in on December 10 this year
will stop billboard, press and magazine advertising.

Source: Campaign, 15th October, 1999.

Addiction: Report on brief intervention techniques to change smoking
patterns within police officers

This report concludes the brief interventions did not produce
significant improvements in three life-style factors beyond position
trends in alcohol consumption among women and general reductions in
smoking among both study groups. Combining quantitative and
qualitative approaches helped identify interactive individual and
organisational factors which influence behavioural and cultural norms.

Source: Addiction (1999) 94 (10), 1509-1521

Karl Brookes
Project Manager
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London EC2A 4HW
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