NURS5099 Promoting Health and Care in the Community - Assignment Help on Evaluation of National Tobacco Campaign

Building Healthy Public Policy 

• The health ministers of different Australian governments throughout the years and non-government organisations (NGOs) have supported the campaign.
• The main aim of the campaign is to reduce and combat smoking by helping and encouraging smokers to quit. In Australia, smoking is considered the leading cause of preventable death and disability (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016).
• The campaign also looks to increase public awareness of tobacco-related illnesses as well as the social and economic harms of smoking. 
• The campaign has various tobacco-control policies. It has introduced plain packaging on tobacco products, placed health warnings on tobacco products, implemented bans on tobacco advertising and displays, banned the sale of tobacco to those under 18 years of age and increased taxes on tobacco products, thereby making smoking less affordable and preventing tobacco use among young people and adults. 
• The campaign has also worked to create healthy, smoke-free environments. Smoke-free laws now prohibit smoking in public places such as schools, office buildings, workplaces, pubs and clubs. Thus, community members are protected from passive smoking (i.e. second-hand smoke), and a message is disseminated that non-smokers are the norm. 
• A national tobacco strategy (NTS) has been established to identify priority areas and key actions to reduce smoking-related harm. For example, increase smoke free areas, strengthening mass media and public education campaigns are some of priority areas for NTS 2012-2018.
• According to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (2016), the policies mentioned above have been effective in reducing smoking rates and creating healthy environments. The survey revealed that the percentage of daily smokers has continued to decline from 24.3% to 12.2%, and the percentage of dependants, such as children, who are exposed to second-hand smoke at home has declined from 31% in 1995 to 2.8% in 2016. Further, the percentage of individuals aged 14 years and over who do not smoke has risen from 49.2% in 1998 to 62.29% in 2016 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016).

• The tobacco-control policies and legislation have achieved their objective of reducing smoking rates and creating healthy environments for community members. The policies and legislation increased public awareness about smoking-related issues due to the fact that smoking became illegal in public places.
• The website of the National Tobacco Campaign provides tools and resources for health professionals to utilise in order to provide evidence based cessation services.

• Supporting materials provide practical guidelines on smoking cessation and information on how to identify smokers and help them quit. Some of the guidelines assist with managing nicotine dependency and nicotine withdrawal, while others provide recommendations on how to conduct motivational interviews to encourage smokers to quit.
• Practical guidelines are also available for professionals to help them support smokers with mental illness, smokers who are pregnant and smokers in indigenous communities. Health professionals and community members can order educational brochures and posters in different languages for free. The website offers comprehensive information related to smoking, the associated health and financial problems and ways to seek help.
• Further, as the majority of correctional facilities are smoke-free, the campaign website provides factsheets of information in several languages regarding the availability of support services to help smokers quit.
• Health professionals and community members can also use the Quitline website to refer a client and allow them to begin the cessation process. 
• The QuitBuddy smartphone application helps smokers to cease smoking. It provides helpful tips and motivations to overcome cravings and track one’s progression. It allows users to share their experiences with others to encourage them to quit smoking. 
• Quitline is a confidential telephone service that provides advice to those who are inspired by the National Tobacco Campaign and who want to quit smoking. It includes online services such as call-backs, which are a series of calls the user receives that support them in quitting through the creation of a personal plan and goals to cease smoking. A study conducted by Stead, Perera and Lancaster (2006) found that telephone-based smoking-cessation counselling increases the chances of quitting smoking and that just three calls are more effective than self-help material. Further, live chat forums where smokers can chat with trained professionals to get help in quitting. 
• The Quit for You – Quit for Two smartphone application offers support to pregnant woman and woman planning to become pregnant but who want to quit smoking first. It includes various interactive activities, such as games and exercises, that help women cope with their smoking cravings and provides information on their baby’s development to inspire pregnant woman to quit.