Deadly Choices, Australia’s foremost preventative health and education program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, will conduct an all-out assault against tobacco consumption in the remote North Queensland community of Palm Island, as it expands its activity footprint partnering with the Integrated Team Care arm of the Palm Island Community Company (PICC).
Education around the dangers of all forms of tobacco smoking and encouragement for those community members keen to quit, form the core cessation activities to be undertaken throughout Palm Island, thanks to valued funding and support of the Federal Government’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) Program.
All of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will be the focus of a three-pronged Deadly Choices’ tobacco takedown, designed to help close the gap in health and life expectancy outcomes among Indigenous Australians.
Emphasising the commitment of the program in ensuring important preventative health messaging around tobacco use, Deadly Choices Ambassador, rugby league legend Steve Renouf visited the Island to lend his voice to today’s launch.
“The Palm Island Community Company (PICC) is delighted to be working with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) to bring this program to Palm Island,” confirmed PICC CEO Rachel Atkinson.
“It’s very important to have a youth focus, given the high rates of smoking and vaping amongst our young people. I’m sure today is going to be a wonderful day for all, with lots of entertainment and we thank our special guest, Steve Renouf for joining us today for such a special occasion.”
The Deadly Choices – Palm Island campaign will seek to orchestrate healthier, happier communities, particularly shining a light on the widespread global health concerns of vaping among youth, while also targeting the incidence of tobacco smoking among pregnant mothers, plus those related tobacco concerns associated with living in remote communities.
“TIS funding allows Deadly Choices to propagate its preventative health messaging around the dangers of tobacco smoking, from Far North Queensland, including Palm Island through the Central and South-Western regions of the State, and from the North Coast all the way down to the border areas of the Gold and Tweed Coasts, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi,” confirmed IUIH Director of Commercial Operations, Dallas Leon.
“We welcome the Palm Island Community Company as a valued stakeholder in our collective fight against the inherent dangers of smoking and vaping among our people, particularly throughout remote regions of Queensland.
“The maintenance of a population health approach to the overarching Deadly Choices Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) strategy, will ensure we provide appropriate education and assistance to existing clients of PICC, while also envisaging substantial growth as we instigate health messaging throughout the wider community.
“The reality is that preventative measures for our people requires a directive towards optimising overall health outcomes, so it’s always about making those deadly, healthy choices by staying away from tobacco products, eating good food, exercising regularly and instigating regular health checks at community-controlled health services.”
Deadly Choices, the highly successful preventative health program of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), has previously been acknowledged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its efforts in promoting the dangers of smoking among Indigenous communities and has at its disposal, an arsenal of health sector service provision experience to enhance protocols against smoking.
Longstanding relationships with TIS and Quitline, targeted junior and senior tobacco education programs delivered to Primary and Secondary-aged school children, plus close working arrangements with Queensland’s community-controlled health sector, ensures consistent opportunities to highlight the ongoing dangers of smoking and vaping to community members of all ages.
“On behalf of Tackling Indigenous Smoking and the National Best Practice Unit (NBPU) I want to convey our support of these planned initiatives throughout Palm Island with the valued support of PICC,” added TIS National Coordinator, Professor Tom Calma AO.
“We’ve really got to ensure our Mob is aware that with vaping, there are the underlying health issues, economic issues due to the costs of devices and, as importantly, are the environmental impacts; stemming from the disposal of devices that are plastic, plus they contain button batteries that we know infants and young kids have swallowed in the past and have died from.
“So, this is a systems approach, a partnership approach with Deadly Choices, which we’ve already seen successes so far with smoking cessation. We’ve just got to do the same with vaping and are certain the three-way partnership with the Palm Island Community Company can ensure positive outcomes into the future.
“Our major targets with this campaign over coming years will be our youth, women; particularly those who may be pregnant, where just like smoking, vaping can create potential harm for unborn babies, plus ensuring all residents have access to good information or have availability of service supports throughout the Island.”
As part of this new and exciting initiative, PICC has employed new staff as Deadly Choices Tobacco Education officers who will deliver a suite of informative programs into Primary and Secondary Schools to highlight the dangers of tobacco products, while also conducting regular community engagement initiatives to assist people to quit smoking.