‘Deadly progress’: substantial drop in Indigenous smoking from 2004-2015
Proving the link between living on country and improved Indigenous health
January 10, 2018
Major study to plug gaps in Indigenous health data
October 31, 2018‘Deadly progress’: substantial drop in Indigenous smoking from 2004-2015
NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #Smoking Research Report : ‘Deadly progress’: substantial drop in Indigenous smoking from 2004-2015
A paper led by ANU researcher Associate Professor Ray Lovett published in the journal Public Health Research & Practice today found a substantial drop in smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the last ten years.
The research highlights the positive downward trends in daily smoking prevalence for young Indigenous people and Indigenous people living in urban areas.
The majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults (around six in ten) do not smoke daily.
According to the study, the proportion of Indigenous people smoking daily dropped by 9%, from 50% in 2004 to 41% in 2014.
Lovett explains, ‘As a result, there are 35,000 fewer daily smokers today than there would have been if things had stayed the same since 2004. This will lead to thousands of lives saved’.
