Help Healthcare Professionals Quit Smoking
- PAPEETE, Tahiti — Despite efforts to curb tobacco use, smoking rates remain a meaningful concern in French Polynesia.Health officials are exploring new strategies, including integrating customary Polynesian medicine...
- dr. Eric Parrat, head of teh Pneumology Service at Taaone Hospital, acknowledges that raising tobacco prices is only a partial solution.
- Parrat emphasized the importance of cultural factors in addressing smoking.
Tahiti Grapples with High Smoking Rates, Explores Innovative Solutions
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PAPEETE, Tahiti — Despite efforts to curb tobacco use, smoking rates remain a meaningful concern in French Polynesia.Health officials are exploring new strategies, including integrating customary Polynesian medicine and drawing inspiration from New Zealand’s accomplished anti-smoking campaigns.
Tobacco Price Hikes: are They Enough?
dr. Eric Parrat, head of teh Pneumology Service at Taaone Hospital, acknowledges that raising tobacco prices is only a partial solution. “It is a part of the solution, but it is not the solution,” Parrat said in a recent interview.He pointed to New Zealand’s success in reducing smoking rates by 50% in 10 years through culturally sensitive, community-based approaches.
Cultural Solutions Key to Curbing Smoking
Parrat emphasized the importance of cultural factors in addressing smoking. He noted that new Zealand’s success stemmed from engaging with Maori populations, who initially had smoking rates similar to Polynesia’s. “the solution is cultural,” Parrat stated. “They had a very community attitude with Maori populations who smoked 40%, as in Polynesia, and who today are 19%.”
He cautioned against stigmatizing smokers, advocating instead for better support systems and a societal approach to tackling what he termed a “societal evil.”
Smoking’s Catastrophic Toll on Health
The latest figures indicate approximately 70,000 smokers in Polynesia as of 2022. Parrat described the current situation as “catastrophic,” with hospitals overwhelmed by lifestyle-related diseases. “Smoking returns after obesity,” he said. “It exceeds unimaginable.”
He cited cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and kidney disease as major consequences, leading to “absolutely monstrous health costs” that outweigh tobacco tax revenues.
Young People and Women at Risk
Recent studies reveal that women in Polynesia smoke more than men, and young people are starting to smoke at increasingly younger ages.Parrat expressed concern about the rise in young lung cancer patients arriving at advanced stages of the disease.
“More and more young people, unluckily, more and more young lung cancers who arrive at very late stadiums,” Parrat said. He stressed the need to engage with youth through positive messaging,promoting sports,healthy eating,and avoiding harmful substances.
Toward a Tobacco-Free Hospital
One initiative under consideration is creating a tobacco-free hospital habitat. Parrat explained that this would involve supporting healthcare professionals who smoke by providing nicotine substitutes and psychosocial support. The goal is to create a credible example for patients.
“You have to help healthcare professionals who smoke,” Parrat said. “To decrease stress in the hospital, it will not be simple, of course. But they must be helped with nicotine substitutes,even other methods,of course.And above all,you need psychosocial help.”
Vaping: A Silent Killer?
The government also plans to address the growing popularity of vaping.President Moetai Brotherson has described vaping as a “silent and invisible killer.” Parrat echoed this sentiment, stating that vaping has not reduced overall smoking rates, particularly among women.
“We moved the problem of smoking,where we say we sell less tobacco,so there are fewer smokers,” parrat said. “This is not true at all. The smoker rate around 42%, it does not change. And above all, in women, this is particularly crucial. Women are much more sensitive to tobacco, then there is pregnancy.”
Parrat dismissed the notion of vaping as a smoking cessation choice,emphasizing that “the only alternative to stopping smoking is never to start tobacco.”
Community-Level Action and Traditional Medicine
Parrat called for community-level action to combat smoking, emphasizing the importance of restoring the cultural dimension of proximity through initiatives like the “Oo now” project. He also highlighted the role of traditional Polynesian medicine in helping smokers quit.
For over 20 years,Parrat has worked to integrate traditional Polynesian medicine into patient care,creating a new health profession of “neo-tradic-criminalists” who bridge the gap between modern and traditional healing practices.”They are between two worlds,” Parrat explained. “They understand our world.They understand the world of traditional medicine. They bridge the bridge between everyone.”
Prevention: A Crucial Investment
Parrat stressed the importance of investing in prevention, noting that it currently represents only 3% of health expenses in Polynesia. He advocated for leveraging Polynesia’s unique methods and expertise in prevention efforts.
“Prevention is major,” Parrat said. “And there, you really have to see things differently. We must not go and get elsewhere what we have with us. We have very original methods in Polynesia, let us finally no how to put them forward together.”
He acknowledged the powerful addictive nature of nicotine and urged a comprehensive approach to preventing all forms of addiction.
Tahiti’s Fight Against Smoking: A Q&A Guide
What’s the current state of smoking in Tahiti?
Despite efforts to curb tobacco use, smoking rates remain a significant concern in French Polynesia, according to the provided information.Health officials are exploring new strategies to address this issue.
What are the key challenges in tackling smoking in Tahiti?
One of the major challenges is the high smoking rate itself.As of 2022, approximately 70,000 people in Polynesia smoked.Health officials consider the situation “catastrophic,” with hospitals overwhelmed by diseases linked to smoking, such as various cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and kidney disease. Additionally, women and young people are especially at risk, with women smoking more then men, and young individuals starting at increasingly younger ages.
Are tobacco price hikes enough to reduce smoking rates?
Dr. Eric Parrat, head of the Pneumology Service at Taaone Hospital, acknowledges that price hikes are only a partial solution. He points out the importance of implementing culturally sensitive, community-based approaches, like those seen in New Zealand’s success in reducing smoking rates.
how prosperous has New zealand been in reducing smoking rates?
New Zealand has been successful in reducing smoking rates by 50% in 10 years using culturally sensitive, community-based approaches, specifically engaging with the Maori population. This provides a model for Tahiti to consider.