Tobacco Control
AMSANT invests strongly in our tobacco control program to support health services and smokers in the NT. Smoking causes a quarter (23%) of all deaths among us mob, and that’s a tragic statistic that is fully preventable. Many of us have quit smoking recently, and fewer young people are starting to smoke, but there’s still plenty to do to get the numbers down and the life-spans up.
“Smoking doesn’t reduce stress, it’s not part of our culture, it’s not cool and it costs a fortune … in both health and money,” says Theresa Paterson who was working in AMSANT’s tobacco team from 2021 to 2022.
AMSANT is helping health services make improvements guided by the NT Aboriginal Health Forum’s ‘tobacco control guide’ that uses CQI’s Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.
AMSANT now hosts the Top End Tackling Indigenous Smoking team in partnership with Red Lily, Mala’la, NT Health and Menzies School of Health Research.
This team serves the remote Top End from Maningrida to Wadeye, including the Tiwi Islands, and is funded by the Australian Government.
AMSANT employs a public health medical officer and a social media officer to support local campaigns by on-the-ground workers in our partner organisations.
Tobacco Control
David Thomas
Public Health Medical Officer (Tobacco Control)
Ayesha Kay
Social Media Officer (Tackling Indigenous Smoking)