ADULTS living in the Grampians health region, including Ballarat, are almost 30 per cent more likely to be smokers than the rest of the state, putting ongoing pressure on medical services.
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More than one in five Grampians adults are smoking, the highest rate in the state according to the latest data, in what is also a 34 per cent increase in picking up the habit than a year earlier.
The Grampians region now eclipses Loddon Mallee, where smoking rates have remained steadily about 20 per cent.
Grampians women are also lighting up daily at twice the rate of women statewide and about 40 per cent more than regional women, the latest Victorian Population Health Survey has found.
Figures show a direct correlation between male smokers who smoke daily or occasionally with high to very high levels of psychological distress, poor health and being underweight statewide.
Victorian female smokers likewise have poor mental health and feel unhealthier than those who do not smoke. But a high proportion of female smokers also do not eat enough fruit and vegetables and are more likely to have at least two chronic diseases.
World Health Organisation put the spotlight this year on strong links between cardiovascular disease and smoking with the theme Tobacco Breaks Hearts.
QUIT Victoria director Sarah White said the fact there were more former smokers across the Grampians (23.2 per cent) than smokers (21.5), reinforced quitting was achievable.
Dr White is urging smokers in Ballarat to check in with a pharmacist for support to butt out. QUIT has teamed with the nation’s peak pharmacy body for improved access for help to quit.
A statewide training program mid-year helped reinforce pharmacists’ frontline approach in how to start the conversation with smokers on quitting, the latest treatment advice and QUIT support.
Dr White said there was no uniform approach to quitting, which was why accessible, medical advice from pharmacists was vital.
“When it comes to quitting, people can feel alone,” Dr White said. “...Sadly, just one in five people use the most effective quitting approach when trying to stop smoking – which is to combine Quitline coaching with the appropriate use of nicotine replacement products suited to you.”
Ballarat Community Health drug and alcohol nurse practitioner Brett Valance has told The Courier the key to changing habits was greater education in treatments. Mr Valance said it often took multiple attempts to quit and while nicotine replacement therapies were easily accessible it was important to learn how to use them properly for the best effects.
Not completing high school and an annual household income of less than $40,000 are key socioeconomic factors in higher smoking rates among men and women. Men are also more likely to smoke if they do not have a job, the survey shows.
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