This research theme recognises the devastating effect smoking has on New Zealanders and the disproportionate burden of harm borne by Māori and people experiencing high deprivation. It aims to reduce the health inequities caused by smoking by making tobacco less appealing and less available, and by fostering Māori leadership.
Director
Advisers
Professor Richard Edwards (Co-Director ASPIRE2025; Co-Director HEPPRU; Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington)
Anaru Waa (Co-Director ASPIRE2025; Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington)
Key researchers
Professor Nick Wilson (BODE3, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington), working in collaboration with the University of Melbourn)
Dr Louise Marsh (Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago)
Dr Jude Ball (Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington)
Dr Robin Quigg (Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago)
Completed projects
Qualitative analysis of bar atmospherics and young adults' smoking experiences
This study examined whether and how outdoor bar areas facilitate and normalize young adults' smoking, and explored potential policy implications.
Results
Comfortable and relaxing outdoor smoking areas in bars create an environment where smoking is expected and accepted, and facilitate smoking uptake among young adults . Expanding smokefree bar settings to include outdoor areas would reduce opportunities for casual smoking, which typically leads quickly to nicotine dependence and regular smoking.
Publications
Brillinger J, Marsh L, Hoek J. Bar atmospherics and smoking: A qualitative analysis of New Zealand young adult smokers. Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
Tirohia ki ngā whaitua auahi kore – Looking at smokefree environments
This study aimed to understand the geographical context of smoking in urban Hamilton parks from a Te Ao Māori perspective (the worldview of Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand). It approached smokefree environments in Hamilton through a Māori lens, undertaking interviews with family groups and people from organisations involved in the local Smokefree environments policy.
Results
Results will be updated soon.
Publications
Publications pending.
Current and upcoming projects
What is the impact of reducing tobacco supply?
This project examines the impact of reducing tobacco's availability within more disadvantaged communities. Using ArcGIS software, the project is exploring two retail reduction scenarios: including 50% fewer retailers or 95% fewer retailers. The findings will provide new information on how reducing retail outlets may affect more deprived communities and will allow the risks and benefits of this approach to be analysed.
What is the impact of making electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) more available?
Although recent studies have concluded that increasing ENDS availability would achieve net health gain and cost savings, we know little about how the greatest health impact could be achieved. This study will model the impact of making ENDS available in different scenarios, such as via specialist stores where expert advice may be given to generic retailers, where expertise is typically not available. The modelling will also examine how cost incentives could promote switching from smoking to vaping.
Preliminary analyses undertaken to assess the harm of ENDS use relative to smoking are now under review. These analyses suggest the commonly quoted estimate that ENDS use is “95% safer” than smoking needs revision and overstates the potential benefit of switching from smoking to ENDS.
How could alcohol control influence smoking?
Young people often report experimenting with smoking when consuming alcohol. This study will model how hypothetical reductions in alcohol use could affect smoking initiation among young adults; reduced relapse among quitters; reduced consumption among smokers (i.e. instances of binge smoking). The proposed approach considers the inter-relatedness of risk and expands traditional approaches that focus solely on single risk factors.
What factors are associated with declines in adolescent smoking uptake?
This study will use existing high quality survey datasets in an in-depth exploration of determinants of health behaviours and how these have contributed to changes in prevalence over time. Specifically, we will identify determinants of adolescent smoking among Māori and non-Māori, and investigate whether additional factors such as cannabis and alcohol use, pocket money, parental attitudes, and level of engagement with digital media explain more recent changes in smoking prevalence among Māori and non-Māori adolescents.
Tirohia whakatātare ki ngā whaitua auahi kore – Looking further at smokefree environments
This project is using a kaupapa Māori approach to explore how messaging and interpretative signage in parks and reserves can support positive and healthy behaviours to maintain smokefree environments. A qualitative kaupapa Māori is planned, following the co-design process advocated by Kidd et al. (2021). The co-design process will enable and facilitate engagement with the underlying premise of this research, whereby there is emphasis and priority given to the historical context of land, overlaid and bounded by the colonisation process that are parks and reserves.
Analysing tobacco industry retailing strategies
Despite laws to control tobacco marketing, tobacco companies continue to find ways to encourage smoking. This study will increase our understanding of promotional strategies used by tobacco companies to encourage and maintain tobacco listings, develop loyalty to brands and companies among retailers, and support on-selling.
Analysis of tobacco and vaping retailer returns data
In this project we will analyse publicly available data sets (the “tobacco returns” data and the “vaping products returns” data) to track consumption of tobacco and vaping products. Work currently underway is examining movements in price partitions within the tobacco market over time, particularly following the introduction of standardised packaging.