N.Z. smoking facts interest world body

Press, 2 July 1979, Page 24

N.Z. smoking facts interest world body

New Zealand census tacts about smoking could play a big part in stopping the frowth of smoking-related eaith problems in developing countries, the medical director of the National , Heart Foundation (Dr D. R. Hay) has said. Dr Hay had just returned! from the fourth world con-1 ference on smoking and health in Stockholm, organ-1 fsed by the Swedish Govern-j

ment and the World Health Organisation. He was invited tu deliver a paper on the success of New Zealand’s efforts to control smoking. Many developing countries jsuch as Tonga, Samoa. Malawi and other African I nations were being forced to I grow tobacco because it was I a fast-growing cash crop, Dr I Hay said. I Once the tobacco com- ] panies were established in

i the countries it was not long I before the poorest inhabit- ‘ ants were being encouraged ■ to buy cigarettes, which were otten sold singly. ; Because many of the ■ countries were -ot far rei moved from a subsistence > economy the lure c. the > riches from a tobacco har- • ve.t was hard for governments to resist. Dr Hay said the Food and • Agricultural Organisation i was “not blameless” regard-

ing the growing of tobacco crops in developing countries. The F.A.O. had often supported the tobacco companies against the advice of other United Nations agencies. Dr Hay said the “masses of facts” gained on smoking from the last census in New Zealand created a great deal of interest at the conference. In particular the rates of smoking amongst Maori people had drawn comment

i as they showed distinct links between the rates of i smoking and the rates of iung cancer. “Maori women have a rate ; of lung cancer of 34.5 per 100,000. This compares with i 8 per 100.000 for non-Maori ; New Zealanders, 5 per 100,000 for Swedish women I and 11 per 100.000 for British.” “The most disturbing fact is that between the ages of : 20 and 24, about 70 per cent

t of Maori women smoke. The f rate for males is also disf turbing, at 60 per cent,” Dr Hay said. B Overseas smoking experts r were interested in using the i New Zealand census results' i to persuade their Govern-, r meats to pursue more vigor-, i ous policies against the “in-: • iquitous” policies of tobacco: t companies and often ill-in-f formed State agricultural t agencies, Dr Hay said.