Newcastle based study finds ways to help Aboriginal women quit smoking

The 'Which Way?' findings, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, is the first Indigenous-led study developed for, and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to develop ways to quit smoking.

The Indigenous-led research project from the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute found that resources and funding is urgently needed to improve culturally safe and effective support for pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who are trying to quit smoking.

University of Newcastle research fellow Michelle Kennedy led the three-year study to find culturally effective quitting methods.

"A lot of evidence that we use when we are developing or implementing services to quit smoking are drawn from the general population or even overseas and implemented in an Aboriginal community and what we find is that they are usually not successful," said Dr Kennedy.

The project specifically looked at what is of interest to women of reproductive age to try and stop them from smoking before or during their first pregnancy, or ahead of subsequent pregnancies.

"Smoking and pregnancy is a key target for the 'Closing the Gap' campaign and it has been ever since it was established," said Dr Kennedy.

"We know that it impacts our low birth weight babies which is a real concern because that hasn't changed much over the years of the campaign but we have never found that thing that is going to help empower Aboriginal women to quit smoking in pregnancy."

A survey as part of the research involved more than 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and found that most have made, and are continuing to make, attempts to quit smoking.

Data involved smokers and ex-smokers, assessed the differences in age and geographic location and looked at the systemic embedding of tobacco-use on First Nations peoples and how those factors impacted quitting attempts.

The women involved in the survey said they were interested in non-pharmacological support to quit smoking such as meditation practices and cultural practices that will bring the community together to help each other quit.

"For a long time we have been talking about closing the gap and helping women quit in pregnancy but we haven't developed or implemented anything innovative to do that, we just train a doctor to speak to an Aboriginal woman about quitting," said Dr Kennedy.

"There is really nothing that has been thinking outside the box and nothing that has come from Aboriginal women and their communities so we need to do more."

Dr Kennedy said now that the study is complete, they must find ways to implement the findings into the community, and get rid of the "one-size fits all quitting approach."