Wednesday 30 May 2012
Smokefree Aotearoa? It can start in your own home
‘Quit now – it’s about whānau’ is the message this World Smokefree Day (Thurs 31 May), and it starts in Rotorua and Taupo homes and communities.
“With the tobacco display ban about to come into effect and the Government’s goal of a Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025, it’s something every family, every whānau and every household can contribute to,” says Smokefree Coordinator at Lakes DHB, Yvonne Rogers.
“It’s a great opportunity to stand together as a family or a community and add your support to the future of this country and the health of future generations,” Yvonne Rogers says.
“And it doesn’t even matter whether everyone in your household smokes or no one does. Just making the house itself or your family car smokefree can be a great first step.”
World Smokefree Day is celebrated globally on 31 May each year. It’s about creating a supportive environment for quitting and encouraging families and whānau across New Zealand to create environments where our children are free from exposure to tobacco, beginning in our own homes.
Research indicates that children with parents who smoke are three times more likely to become smokers – what children are visibly exposed to has a strong effect on what they perceive as normal.
“That’s the primary reason the Government has introduced the ban on tobacco displays,” Yvonne Rogers explains.
"Every supermarket, corner dairy, and petrol station in the country is removing tobacco from the eyes of our children. We can do the same in our homes, cars and communities by making them smokefree and doing whatever we can to support those who smoke to quit.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you’ve smoked for 20 years or five months, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve never tried quitting before or if you’ve tried five times.”
“World Smokefree Day is a perfect opportunity to contribute to the goal of a Smokefree Aotearoa and a future in which our children and grandchildren will be free from tobacco and enjoy tobacco‐free lives.”
“Join with smokers and non‐smokers alike, all around the world, and be a role model for the wellbeing of your family on 31 May. World Smokefree Day – it’s about whānau,” Yvonne Rogers urges.
For more information please contact
Yvonne Rogers, Smokefree Coordinator, Lakes DHB
Phone 027 477 8961 |