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ASH News and Events Bulletin - 16-30 June 2011

HEADLINES

EVENTS

  • ASH awarded WHO medal at charity's 40th anniversary event

    ASH Chief Executive Deborah Arnott was presented with an award from the World Health Organization by the Minister for Public Health, Anne Milton at an event to mark the charity's 40th anniversary.

    LtoR: Sir Richard Thompson (president of the Royal College of Physicians), Stephen Williams MP (Chair of APPG on Smoking and Health), Kevin Barron MP, Anne Milton (Minister for Public Health) holding the WHO World No Smoking Day Award, Deborah Arnott (CEO of ASH), Prof. John Moxham (Chair of ASH). (picture by Crispin Hughes)

    LtoR: Sir Richard Thompson (president of the Royal College of Physicians), Stephen Williams MP (Chair of APPG on Smoking and Health), Kevin Barron MP, Anne Milton (Minister for Public Health) holding the WHO World No Smoking Day Award, Deborah Arnott (CEO of ASH), Prof. John Moxham (Chair of ASH). (picture by Crispin Hughes)

    At a special meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, Ms Milton presented the World No Tobacco Day Award 2011 in recognition of ASH's 'dynamic' international work supporting the establishment of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, including the development of the illicit trade protocol.

    Accepting the award, Deborah Arnott said:

    "I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of ASH . Since the charity was founded 40 years ago, we have seen a dramatic fall in smoking from around half of all adults to just one fifth. This achievement is due to the support of parliamentarians from all parties, who have helped to ensure that the UK remains a world leader in tobacco policy."

    The event was hosted by Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, Chair of the APPG on Smoking and Health, who welcomed the strong cross-party support for tobacco policies. He expressed particular thanks to Kevin Barron, the Labour MP and former Health Select Committee Chair, and to Public Health Minister Anne Milton for her work on the recent Tobacco Plan. Ms Milton highlighted the challenges ahead, with over 80,000 deaths from tobacco every year in England alone.

    Also speaking at the event was Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, the organisation that originally founded ASH in 1971, and ASH Chair, Professor John Moxham.  

    Further images of the event can be viewed on flickr here.

    Source: Medical News Today - 16 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/jjuFqE

  • EU raises questions about plain packaging

    The European Union has raised concerns about moves to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, at World Trade Organisation forums in Geneva.

    There are fears plain packaging contravenes the international intellectual property legal framework by placing restrictions on the use of trademarks.

    The Australian understands the EU raised questions about the scientific data considered in preparing the policy, the impact assessment process and other alternatives to stop smoking. It is also understood the EU asked how Australia had taken into consideration its obligations under other WTO treaties such as the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPs, the cornerstone of the international intellectual property regime.

    Trade Minister Craig Emerson justified the Australian government's stand in response to queries from the International Chamber of Commerce and the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. "Australia's plain packaging policy is entirely consistent with our international obligations," Dr Emerson says in the letters obtained by The Australian.

    "As a member of the World Trade Organisation, Australia has the right to take [any] measure necessary to protect public health. These measures will be implemented in a way that is consistent with our intellectual property, trade and investment obligations."

    Source: The Australian - 28 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/jdDvZO

  • EU: Anti-tobacco campaign heralds new regulations

    The European Commission is set to widen the scope of cigarette-trading rules to cover potentially harmful electronic cigarettes, flavourings and even marketing strategies, as part of a wider campaign launched yesterday (16 June) to urge Europeans to quit.

    The campaign is centred around a new online tool, called 'iCoach', a free-access digital platform, which is to be first targeted at smoking EU officials in an effort to get them to lead by example on the issue.

    Available in all EU languages, the iCoach contains a number of different stages designed to offer smokers – including those who have no intention of giving up and those in danger of relapse – practical advice on how to overcome nicotine addiction.

    It forms the central part of the new campaign called 'Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable' launched by Health Commissioner John Dalli, which is principally targeting smokers aged between 25 and 34.

    The campaign will run for the next three years while new regulations will be announced next year.

    Source: EuroActiv - 17 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/ku6kh9

  • Four years on: More smokers support than oppose Smokefree Law

    On the fourth anniversary of England's smokefree law, new figures show that public support for the measure remains high with 78% of the population in favour of the law. Significantly, almost half of all smokers (47%) support the law.*

    These findings stand in stark contrast to the claims made by the 'Save Our Pubs' campaign - a tobacco industry funded font group - that the smokefree law is causing pubs to close. The real agenda behind this campaign is to amend the law to allow smoking in pubs

    Commenting on the findings, Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH, said:

    "Pubs, like all small businesses have been hard hit by the recession. But the tobacco lobby group assertion that thousands of pubs in England and Wales are under threat of closure due to the smoking ban does not stand up to scrutiny. The British public are enjoying the benefits of smokefree drinking and dining and there is little appetite for a return to the bad old days of smoky pubs."

    *YouGove poll. See the ASH press release for further information.

    Source: MediLexicon, 29 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/ju2wTe

  • MP calls for smoking ban in cars carrying children

    A Labour MP has called for a ban on adults smoking in cars where children are present, saying it would bring "tremendous" health benefits.

    Alex Cunningham told MPs that children were particularly vulnerable to the effects of passive smoking and could not "remove" themselves from cars where cigarette smoke was circulating.

    Mr Cunningham said the "science was clear" about the dangers of passive smoking and that societal attitudes had changed on the issue in the past decade - reflected by the ban on smoking in public transport, planes and taxis.

    Research suggested more than 300,000 children visited doctors every year with health problems associated with passive smoke, he said, while there were 20,000 new cases of asthma and wheezing among children every year.

    The Labour MP acknowledged many people felt the car was a "private space" but he believed it was children's space as well and "some people were invading it with dangerous smoke".

    But Tory MP Philip Davies said it should be up to parents to decide whether they smoked in cars and there was a "complete lack of evidence" about the beneficial impact of the proposal.

    Meanwhile, British Medical Association (BMA) members have called for tougher controls on cigarettes and alcohol, including a ban on smoking while driving at its conference in Cardiff.

    Source: BBC News, 22 June 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/jUvOoW

  • Town asked to outlaw cigarettes

    A Buckinghamshire town could soon become totally smokefree.

    Alderman Paul Bartlett, who sits on Stony Stratford Town Council, is calling for a street smoking ban in an effort to stop litter louts from throwing cigarette butts on to the streets of the historic town, and to ‘make the environment cleaner’.

    Cllr Bartlett hopes to do this with a by-law, and will be lobbying the town council to support the creation of a law at its next meeting in July.

    He said the ban, if enforced, could be policed by community support officers, traffic wardens and even members of the public.

    Source: MK News, 29 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/iJsgLn

  • USA: New graphic cigarette warnings unveiled

    The US government has unveiled a new set of cigarette warnings with graphic images of a lifeless body, a scarred mouth and a blackened lung in order to highlight the health risks of smoking.

    The US Food and Drug Administration said on its website, "Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States".

    The warnings, which can be seen at fda.gov/cigarettewarnings, mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are "a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking," the agency added.

    The warnings will occupy the top 50 percent of the front and rear panels of cigarette packs and the top 20 percent of cigarette advertisements.

    "The introduction of these warnings is expected to have a significant public health impact by decreasing the number of smokers, resulting in lives saved, increased life expectancy, and lower medical costs," the agency said.

    Source: The Independent, 22 June 2011
    Link: http://ind.pn/kkVC1U

  • Parliamentary question: ASH funding

    Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether funding allocated to Action on Smoking and Health by his Department may be used for lobbying purposes by that body.

    Anne Milton: Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has received funding from the Department in the past, through the Department's ‘Section 64 General Scheme of Grants to voluntary and Community Organisations’. ASH received these grants specifically to carry out defined projects.

    None of this funding was, or could be used, for lobbying purposes.

    Source: Hansard - 15 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/kg2kkf

  • Parliamentary question: Meeting with tobacco industry

    Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet tobacco manufacturers to discuss his Department's publication Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a Tobacco Control Plan for England; and if he will publish a note of the discussions at each such meeting. 

    Anne Milton: The Government takes very seriously the United Kingdom's obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC places obligations on parties to protect the development of public health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. We have made our commitment to this very clear in Chapter 10 of “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a Tobacco Control Plan for England” our Tobacco Control Plan for England. 

    Source: Hansard - 15 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/lBkb5m

  • Parliamentary question: WHO FCTC

    Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control makes for meetings between Government Ministers and representatives of tobacco companies; and if he will make a statement.

    Anne Milton: The World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) does not specifically address the question of meetings between Government Ministers and representatives of tobacco companies.

    The FCTC places obligations on parties to protect the development of public health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. We have made our commitment to this very clear in Chapter 10 of “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a Tobacco Control Plan for England”.

    Source: Hansard - 16 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/kLRnhk

  • Benson & Hedges White launches into sub-premium cigarette sector

    JTI is launching Benson & Hedges White, a new brand in the sub-premium cigarette sector.

    The arrival of B&H White from July 2011 is designed to take advantage of the growth in the lower tar segment, which is worth £4.4 bn to the retail trade.

    B&H White will only be available in a 20s slide pack. B&H introduced the slide pack to the UK market in 2006 and it has proved popular with exisiting adult smokers ever since.

    Where Silver Slide and Flip Top packs are priced at parity, slide out-performs Flip Top.

    Source: Talking Retail, 14 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/msDeQL

  • Canada: Imperial sues First Nations tobacco firms

    Imperial Tobacco Canada (a BAT subsidiary) has launched a $1.5 billion lawsuit against tobacco manufacturers and retailers on First Nations reserves.

    "We operate with over 200 laws and regulations," Eric Gagnon, a spokesman for Imperial, was quoted as telling Postmedia News on Friday. "There's no reason why tobacco manufacturers on First Nations reserves should be treated any differently from legal manufacturers. This is what the lawsuit is all about."

    Imperial also wants to bring smaller producers – whether operating legally or not – in as third parties to a lawsuit being brought against it by the Ontario government, which is suing major tobacco manufacturers, including Imperial, for health-care costs allegedly resulting from tobacco-related illnesses.

    If what the Ontario government claims is true, Gagnon said, then tobacco businesses selling and operating on reserves in Ontario should also respond to the same allegations as those faced by Imperial.  

    Source: The First Perspective - 20 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/jYmqSA

  • Philip Morris to sue if Australia puts all cigarettes in plain green wrappers

    Marlboro manufacturer Philip Morris International is threatening to sue the Australian government for billions of dollars over its plan to be the first country to introduce plain, brand-free packaging for cigarettes.

    The row is being closely followed by politicians in Britain, Canada and New Zealand, where similar plans to curtail cigarette branding are being considered.

    British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the largest cigarette firms in Australia, has already said it plans a legal challenge to the proposals, which have yet to be formally released. A spokeswoman said BAT would wait for the legislation to be issued before making any move.

    Martin Dockrell, director of research and policy at ASH, said he expected the Australian suit to be the first of many as governments around the world tighten up the rules on cigarette packaging.

    "Plain packaging would make a tremendous difference and that's why the tobacco industry is fighting so hard to stop it," Dockrell said.

    "Legal action is a standard delaying device for them. They are going to throw huge amounts of money into this."

    Links to further coverage
    The Herald Sun: http://bit.ly/lrR3tP

    The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/mJJHXj

    The Sydney Morning Herald: http://bit.ly/iNu3h9

    Bloomberg Businessweek: http://buswk.co/jNXN2B

    BBC News: http://bbc.in/kGBu8O

    The Australian: http://bit.ly/mnUDTI

    Source: UTV - 27 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/krqYb2

  • Phillip Morris buys stake in vaccine company

    Philip Morris International Inc. has bought more than $9 million worth of shares in Medicago Inc., roughly half of the equity offering from the Canadian biotech company.

    Philip Morris said that the offering gives it 9.86 percent of Medicago's issued and outstanding shares. Medicago uses tobacco leaves to make influenza vaccines for the pandemic and seasonal flu.

    Source: Yahoo! Finance - 05 April 2011
    Link: http://yhoo.it/kTgjCJ

  • Tobacco giant loses fight over vending machines

    The Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt to overturn a proposed ban on cigarette vending machines in pubs, clubs and restaurants.

    The ruling upholds a decision by the High Court last December to reject Sinclair Collis’s legal challenge to the sections of the UK Health Act 2009 that seek to ban tobacco vending sales from October.

    Two of the three Court of Appeal judges agreed that the High Court’s decision should be upheld. The third judge said that a ban on tobacco vending sales was disproportionate.

    But Imperial Tobacco says it will continue its campaign to reverse the imminent cigarette vending machine ban despite the Court of Appeal upholding the ban.

    The tobacco manufacturer said it will ask the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, and wants the ban delayed until after this appeal is heard.

    Source: The Times, 18 June 2011 (subscription required)
    Link: http://thetim.es/jJTlua

  • Tory Cabinet Minister enjoys tobacco industry hospitality

    Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, was one of five Conservative MPs treated to more than £1,000 worth of hospitality by Japan Tobacco International.

    As a former health spokesman for the Conservatives and the founder of a medical equipment firm, Philip Hammond is all too familiar with the dangers of nicotine. However, Hammond and his wife, Susan, were treated to more than £1,000 worth of hospitality at the Chelsea Flower Show by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which owns Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut cigarettes.

    JTI is currently pursuing an application for judicial review of the ban on the display of tobacco by shopkeepers that was announced by Andrew Lansley earlier this year.

    Source: Daily Telegraph, 22 June 2011
    Link: http://tgr.ph/j3qZLp

  • Effective stop smoking service

    Abstract
    Background The English network of stop-smoking services (SSSs) is among the best-value life-preserving clinical intervention in the UK NHS and is internationally renowned. However, success varies considerably across services, making it important to examine the factors that influence their effectiveness.

    Methods Data from 126 890 treatment episodes in 24 SSSs in 2009–10 were used to assess the association between intervention characteristics and success rates, adjusting for key smoker characteristics. Treatment characteristics examined were setting (eg, primary care, specialist clinics, pharmacy), type of support (eg, group, one-to-one) and medication (eg, varenicline, single nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), combination of two or more forms of NRT). The main outcome measure was abstinence from smoking 4 weeks after the target quit date, verified by carbon monoxide concentration in expired air.

    Results There was substantial variation in success rates across intervention characteristics after adjusting for smoker characteristics. Single NRT was associated with higher success rates than no medication (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.22); combination NRT and varenicline were more successful than single NRT (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.91 and OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.57 to 2.02, respectively); group support was linked to higher success rates than one-to-one support (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.76); primary care settings were less successful than specialist clinics (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.99).

    Conclusions Routine clinic data support findings from randomised controlled trials that smokers receiving stop-smoking support from specialist clinics, treatment in groups and varenicline or combination NRT are more likely to succeed than those receiving treatment in primary care, one-to-one and single NRT. All smokers should have access to, and be encouraged to use, the most effective intervention options.

    Brose, L., et al., What makes for an effective stop-smoking service?, Thorax, doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2011-200251 

    Source: BMJ - 27 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/ljQq26

  • Implementing public health in secondary care

    Abstract
    Aims: This paper reports an approach to develop and implement a public health strategy in secondary care and uses smoking cessation as a means for measuring success.

    Methods: Rotherham Foundation Hospital Trust recognized its unique role to promote, prevent and protect health and well-being in Rotherham. Following consultation across key departments, the trust developed a public health strategy encompassing five priorities.

    Results: We report ongoing commitment and engagement following the launch of the public health strategy. Over a period of one year (April 2008 to March 2009) 269 front-line staff were trained on smoking cessation brief interventions. We report 890 referrals to smoking cessation, resulting in 414 setting a quit date and 143 four-week quitters (35% conversion rate). Despite progress in implementing smoking cessation, more communication is required to ensure that GPs and hospital staff continue to maximize patient outcomes through brief interventions.

    Conclusions: The paper provides an approach to implement public health in secondary care. The Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) payment framework would be a useful tool to ensure key public health areas such as smoking cessation are systemized in secondary care.

    Al-Alawy, K., et al., Implementing public health in secondary care: a Rotherham perspective on strategy development and implementation, Perspect Public Health. 2011 May;131(3):137-43.

     

    Source: Sage Journals - 18 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/mRso9h

  • Review of the smoking tool kit study

    Abstract
    Background Up-to-date data tracking of national smoking patterns and cessation-related behaviour is required to evaluate and inform tobacco control strategies. The Smoking Toolkit Study (STS) was designed for this role. This paper describes the methodology of the STS and examines as far as possible the representativeness of the samples.

    Methods The STS consists of monthly, cross sectional household interviews of adults aged 16 and over in England with smokers and recent ex-smokers in each monthly wave followed up by postal questionnaires three and six months later. Between November 2006 and December 2010 the baseline survey was completed by 90,568 participants. STS demographic, prevalence and cigarette consumption estimates are compared with those from the Health Survey for England (HSE) and the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) for 2007-2009.

    Results Smoking prevalence estimates of all the surveys were similar from 2008 onwards (e.g 2008 STS = 22.0%, 95% C.I. = 21.4% to 22.6%, HSE = 21.7%, 95% C.I. = 20.9% to 22.6%, GLF = 20.8%, 95% C.I. = 19.7% to 21.9%), although there was heterogeneity in 2007 (chi-square = 50.30, p<0.001). Some differences were observed across surveys within sociodemographic sub-groups, although largely in 2007. Cigarette consumption was virtually identical in all surveys and years.

    Conclusion There is reason to believe that the STS findings (see www.smokinginengland.info) are generalisable to the adult population of England.

    Fidler, J., et al., 'The Smoking Toolkit Study': A national study of smoking and smoking cessation in England, BMC Public Health, 2011, 11:479doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-479

    Source: Biomedcentral - 18 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/lpuiic

  • Text messages help smoking cessation

    Background Smoking cessation programmes delivered via mobile phone text messaging show increases in self-reported quitting in the short term. We assessed the effect of an automated smoking cessation programme delivered via mobile phone text messaging on continuous abstinence, which was biochemically verified at 6 months.

    Methods In this single-blind, randomised trial, undertaken in the UK, smokers willing to make a quit attempt were randomly allocated, using an independent telephone randomisation system, to a mobile phone text messaging smoking cessation programme (txt2stop), comprising motivational messages and behavioural-change support, or to a control group that received text messages unrelated to quitting. The system automatically generated intervention or control group texts according to the allocation. Outcome assessors were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was self-reported continuous smoking abstinence, biochemically verified at 6 months. All analyses were by intention to treat. This study is registered, number ISRCTN 80978588.

    Findings We assessed 11 914 participants for eligibility. 5800 participants were randomised, of whom 2915 smokers were allocated to the txt2stop intervention and 2885 were allocated to the control group; eight were excluded because they were randomised more than once. Primary outcome data were available for 5524 (95%) participants. Biochemically verified continuous abstinence at 6 months was significantly increased in the txt2stop group (10·7% txt2stop vs 4·9% control, relative risk [RR] 2·20, 95% CI 1·80—2·68; p<0·0001). Similar results were obtained when participants that were lost to follow-up were treated as smokers (268 [9%] of 2911 txt2stop vs 124 [4%] of 2881 control [RR 2·14, 95% CI 1·74—2·63; p<0·0001]), and when they were excluded (268 [10%] of 2735 txt2stop vs 124 [4%] of 2789 control [2·20, 1·79—2·71; p<0·0001]). No significant heterogeneity was shown in any of the prespecified subgroups.

    Interpretation The txt2stop smoking cessation programme significantly improved smoking cessation rates at 6 months and should be considered for inclusion in smoking cessation services.

    Free, C., et al., Smoking cessation support delivered via mobile phone text messaging (txt2stop): a single-blind, randomised trial, The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue 9785, Pages 49 - 55, 2 July 2011

    A commentary of the paper is available on the Lancet's website here (subscription required).

    Source: The Lancet - 30 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/lLbXrc

  • Whitehall study follow up

    Abstract

    Aims To estimate the contribution of risk factor trends to 20-year declines in myocardial infarction (MI) incidence in British men and women.

    Methods and results From 1985 to 2004, 6379 men and 3074 women in the Whitehall II cohort were followed for incident MI and risk factor trends. Over 20 years, the age–sex-adjusted hazard of MI fell by 74% (95% confidence interval 48–87%), corresponding to an average annual decline of 6.5% (3.2–9.7%). Thirty-four per cent (20–76%) of the decline in MI hazard could be statistically explained by declining non-HDL cholesterol levels, followed by increased HDL cholesterol (17%, 10–32%), reduced systolic blood pressure (13%, 7–24%), and reduced cigarette smoking prevalence (6%, 2–14%). Increased fruit and vegetable consumption made a non-significant contribution of 7% (−1–20%). In combination, these five risk factors explained 56% (34–112%). Rising body mass index (BMI) was counterproductive, reducing the scale of the decline by 11% (5–23%) in isolation. The MI decline and the impact of the risk factors appeared similar for men and women.

    Conclusion In men and women, over half of the decline in MI risk could be accounted for by favourable risk factor time trends. The adverse role of BMI emphasizes the importance of addressing the rising population BMI.  

    Emilsson, L., et al., Increased risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with coeliac disease: a nationwide cohort study, European Heart Journal (2011) doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehr167

    Source: Oxford Journals - 28 April 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/kp75ag

Events

  • Health and Wellbeing – the 21st Century Agenda

    The second international conference organised by the journal Public Health is taking as its theme health and wellbeing. The conference will explore the relationships between health, wellbeing and the factors which influence them in a global environment. 


    website

    Date: 08 September 2011
    Venue: Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ
    Contact: crobins@rsph.org.uk

  • UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases

    The Summit will focus on the four most prominent non-communicable diseases, namely, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. The aim of the summit is to agree on a global strategy to address NCDs.

    There will be a High-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the prevention and control of Non-communicable Diseases (19-20 September 2011), while Non-communicable disease indicators are on the agenda for discussion during the Millennium Development Goals Review Session (20-22 September 2011).

    Date: 19 September 2011
    Venue: New York City, USA
    Contact: http://bit.ly/dOgoW4

  • 14th European Health Forum Gastein

    The EHFG has developed into a key annual event, bringing together, politicians, senior decision-makers, representatives of interest groups, and experts coming from government and administration, business and industry, civil society and science and academia.

    Date: 05 October 2011
    Venue: Salzburg, Austria
    Contact: http://www.ehfg.org/registration.html?&L=0

  • Study day at Royal Marsden Hospital: It's never too late to stop

    The day covers Smoking and the impact on cancer treatment and how to support cancer patients and their families to stop smoking.

    Date: 07 October 2011
    Venue: Royal Marsden Hospital
    Contact: www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/studydays or call: (0044) 020 78082924

  • Tobacco and Alcohol: Learning From Each Other Conference

    Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent among people with alcohol use disorders. People who are dependent on alcohol are more likely than those in the general population to be smokers, and people who are dependent on tobacco are more likely than the general population to be dependent on alcohol. Alcohol use problems are associated with higher levels of nicotine dependence and a lower likelihood of smoking cessation. More alcoholics die of tobacco-related illness than die of alcohol-related problems. The link between alcohol and tobacco has important implications for those in the alcohol and smoking cessation treatment and policy fields. The conference is an opportunity to learn from each other and to present new models and ways of working.

    Date: 12 October 2011
    Venue: Parc Thistle Hotel, Cardiff
    Contact: http://www.ashwales.org.uk/conference-registration/

  • Tobacco science at ICAA 54th International Conference on Dependencies

    Plenary sessions with keynote speakers of international renown will address major themes, most of them having a general, non-substance-specific nature covering aspects relevant to matters regarding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

    On Monday 14th November one plenary session will deal with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. (Presenters: Deborah Arnott, Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) UK,  Prof. Robert West, Professor of Health Psychology and Director of Tobacco Studies. University College London

    On Wednesday 16th November there will be Major sessions including four presentations with tobacco-specific content: 
    Harm reduction 
    Prof Ann McNeil, Professor in Health Policy and Promotion, Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies. Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham. UK

    Pharmacological and non-pharmacological features of Substance Dependence : comparisons between alcohol/drugs/tobacco
    Karl Olov Fagerstrom PhD, Fagerstrom Consulting, Helsingborg, Sweden

    Scientific basis for tobacco product regulation
    Lars Ramström PhD, Institute for Tobacco Studies, Stockholm, Sweden

    Tobacco control policies
    Deborah Arnott, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), London, UK

    SESSIONS OF THE ICAA SECTION ON TOBACCO DEPENDENCE 
    All participants are encouraged to submit abstracts of contributed papers for oral presentation in the sessions of the ICAA Section on Tobacco Dependence. We welcome presentations dealing with any aspect of tobacco science and control (research, prevention, treatment, policy etc). 


     

    Date: 13 November 2011
    Venue: British Medical Association's Conference Centre, BMA House, London
    Contact: www.icaa.ch/london/

  • Fiftieth anniversary of RCP report on smoking and health

    To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of its first report on Smoking and Health in 1962, the Royal College of Physicians is organising a one-day conference.

    Date: 06 March 2012
    Venue: Royal College of Physicians
    Contact: http://events.rcplondon.ac.uk/details.aspx?e=2497

  • 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health

    The premier, international conference on tobacco control attracts thousands of academics, practitioners, non-government organisations and public officials. 

    Date: 20 March 2012
    Venue: Singapore
    Contact: http://wctoh2012.org