Health organizations are drawing attention to new tobacco policies in the province during National Non-Smoking Week, January 16-22.
Smoking rates in Saskatchewan are among the highest in Canada at 25.7 percent, says Sunrise Health Region Medical Health Officer Dr. Mandiangu Nsungu. The 20-34 age demographic has the highest rates at around 32 percent, and 14 percent of youths aged 12-19 continue to smoke.
In response to these troubling numbers, the government of Saskatchewan recently approved a new tobacco reduction strategy for the province based around the goals of prevention, protection, and cessation.
Along with a public awareness campaign, the strategy comes with some tough new laws, including bans on selling tobacco products in pharmacies, smoking on school grounds, and smoking in vehicles when children under 16 are present. Some of the well-publicized regulations came into effect last summer, while others will become active early this year.
Two smoking cessation drugs, Champix and Zyban, were also added to the provincial drug plan effective January 1. Eligible residents will now enjoy partial coverage of the drugs based on their income levels.
"If the strategy is implemented, it will go a long way to reducing tobacco consumption," says Dr. Nsungu, "and so not only reduce negative health effects, but also protect those innocent people who did not choose to smoke."
But legislation alone is not enough, adds the doctor.
"The legislation itself is good. What we have to look into is the implementation and enforcement."
Part of that implementation will happen at the level of the health region, which is why last fall Sunrise tasked Dr. Nsungu and Director of Public Health Jim Wallace with chairing a steering committee on a tobacco action plan framed around the goals of the provincial strategy.
Representatives of most of the health region's departments will have input on the plan, which should be presented for approval within a few months.
The plan will unfold in two stages, the first of which is reducing tobacco use among Sunrise staff and on Sunrise premises. Changes will be coming to the areas where smoking is permitted near health region facilities, and healthcare workers will be encouraged to quit "for themselves and for the comfort of their clients," says Dr. Nsungu.
"Our objective is to eventually have a completely smoke-free [work] environment within the health region, but we recognize that we need to go in steps before we reach that."
Stage two involves expanding the plan beyond Sunrise facilities and into the public sphere. A publicity and education campaign will commence with a particular focus on youth and First Nations.Sunrise will be looking to partners such as the Heart & Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Lung Association of Saskatchewan, and other health regions to determine the most effective strategies.
"We think the multi-pronged approach is the way to tackle this," says Wallace.
"We're not going to change the rates overnight, but we've got to begin, and we hope we've called together the right people in our health region to work on the issue."
