The combination of both heavy drinking and smoking in midlife can accelerate cognitive decline. Problems with cognitive function affects mental abilities such as thinking, knowing, judging and remembering…
Enter the dragon: China joins higher-income countries with similar health concerns.
PA/Fiona Hanson
China is now facing similar health issues to higher income countries including the UK and US, according to new global health figures. Poor diet and cancer are a growing concern in China compared to issues…
How can anti-smoking campaigns be targeted more effectively at Australia’s Indigenous youth? It’s a good question, and one that, as yet, has proven difficult to answer. Almost half of all Aboriginal and…
Digitally-aged image demonstrating the effects of smoking (non-smoker on left, smoker on right).
Curtin University
Showing young people computer-generated images illustrating the effects of smoking on their appearance later in life may encourage them to quit, a new study has found. The findings are published in the…
Addictions are difficult to break as we usually surround ourselves with people, paraphernalia or situations that trigger the behaviour that led to the addiction in the first place. But psychological conditioning…
Big Tobacco’s planners eye their world maps and salivate over large, poorly educated populations.
Image from shutterstock.com
Plain packing has been a reality for Big Tobacco in Australia for three months now; New Zealand announced last week it will follow suit; and at least four other nations, including India, are also considering…
New concerns have been raised over the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy.
Image from shutterstock.com
A study published in the latest edition of the journal Tobacco Control confirms what we’ve long suspected about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): smokers don’t need to resort to these pharmaceuticals…
Smoke-free public areas are now common in Australia.
AAP/Kalo Fainu
Smoking bans have been linked with a reduction in the risk of preterm baby deliveries in a new Belgian study. The study, published on the British Medical Journal website today, included more than 600,000…
Chrissie Swan and her management have attracted massive media attention in the aftermath of photos of her smoking being published.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The past week has seen a torrent of news coverage about Chrissie Swan, who “confessed” to smoking while pregnant with her third child. The confession was followed by myriad commentators and op-eds criticising…
Why do we feel the need to judge Swan for having a few sneaky cigs while pregnant?
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Broadcaster and commentator Chrissie Swan certainly opened her own can of worms yesterday with her admission she has been smoking while pregnant with her third child. Swan’s “confession” came to light…
There’s little evidence to support a ban based on the health harms of cigarette smoke in wide, open spaces.
AAP/April Fonti
Support for smoke-free laws is near universal in Australia. In the late 1980s and 90s, these laws were primarily advocated and adopted on the premise that employees shouldn’t be continuously exposed to…
No-smoking signs may actually prompt smokers to smoke.
Mykl Roventine/Flickr
In 1863, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote, “Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear – and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.” According to a recent experiment…
The rate of heavy smoking among Indigenous people is on the decline, the study found.
AAP/Dave Hunt
The number of Indigenous heavy smokers fell from 17.3% in 1994 to 9.4% in 2008, a relative drop of 45%, a study has found. The study, conducted by the Menzies School of Health Research and published today…
Tobacco advertising laws must be adapted to keep up with new media.
jfin.ch
“Every time a door closes a window opens.” This clichéd greeting card sentiment must be the catch-cry of tobacco marketers globally. Every since tobacco advertising was first forced off our television…
Australians are drinking and smoking less but putting on weight like never before, a national survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found. Results from the ABS Australian Health Survey, the…