iSISTAQUIT provides wrap-around support for pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who are wanting to quit smoking, as well as training for health professionals.
Recently @iSISTAQUIT took the reins of Croakey’s rotated, curated Twitter account, @WePublicHealth. A summary follows below of the news and resources shared.
iSISTAQUIT writes:
#iSISTAQUIT provides free, online training for health providers in smoking cessation methods and educational resources for pregnant women.
Building on the research our team has been undertaking over the last seven years years, the project is now leading a nationwide scale up of #iSISTAQUIT.
Quitting smoking is a process that is hard to do alone. Getting support and help from different places can increase your chances to become smoke-free. View resources by #icanquit: Top 10 tips for quitting.
iSISTAQUIT provides vital training for health professionals and encouragement to communities and pregnant women to quit smoking.
Context matters
Indigenous people experience a disproportionate burden of disease due to high tobacco smoking rates, a legacy of colonisation and government sanctioned policies where rations of tobacco were widely distributed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
In pregnancy, 44 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women smoke, compared to 12 percent of non-Indigenous mothers. Although Indigenous women are motivated to quit smoking to protect their unborn child, they typically receive inadequate health provider support to quit.
Reductions in smoking prevalence among Indigenous pregnant women to date have been slow, and culturally appropriate programs are not widely available. A national standardised approach, strategically implemented to maximise uptake is urgently needed.
Tobacco is considered to be the number one risk factor for morbidity and mortality around the world, killing around six million people each year. It is estimated that tobacco use is responsible for 12 percent of the burden of disease for Indigenous peoples
Comprehensive and often intensive interventions are recommended for pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, but so far evidence to guide successful intervention by health professionals and policy makers is sparse.
Providing support
The #SmokeFreeSistahood is a support network for women to support each other on their quit journey to swapping the smokes for life! Sign up and receive a #iSISTAQUIT baby wrap and the My Quit Journey Booklet.
Studies highlighted women sought holistic care that incorporated nicotine replacement therapy, engaged with family and community and the potential for education about smoking cessation to empower a woman. Read #iSISTAQUIT’s paper analysing messages and impact.
Watch and listen
Watch the videos featured below here and here.
Training tools
Watch the clip featured above here.
#iSISTAQUIT training is via an online platform that is designed for flexible learning, with no time limit and can be completed in stages. Sign up at https://isistaquit.org.au
Meet the team
Stay in touch
See Croakey’s archive of stories on tobacco control.
