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August 28, 2017
Quitline good but choking off smokers’ supply best
Waatea Team
Posted On August 28, 2017
Thumbs up for Quitline, but other anti-smoking initiatives may be even better.
Otago University’s department of public health has done a comprehensive cost benefit analysis of a range of measures and found the advice line delivers a value more than eight times more than its $9 million cost.
Study author Professor Nick Wilson says it has proven particularly effective with Maori, so there are significant equity benefits.
He says the study should help decision makers judge what mix of counselling services, public media campaigns and prohibitions will help towards to goal of a smokefree Aotearoa by 2025.
"We’ve done modelling on all these things so we are able now to say actually there are all good investments but some are better than others and these big ticket items like phasing out outlets and even a sinking lid on supply, they are where the really best value for money is," Professor Wilson says.
He would also like to see a return to Maori-driven mass media campaigns like the It’s about whanau campaign.
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