Deadly Choices tackling Indigenous smoking

Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will be the focus of a three-pronged Deadly Choices’ tobacco takedown, designed to help close the gap in health and life expectancy outcomes among Indigenous Australians.   

The rejuvenated campaign by Australia’s foremost preventative health program of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), has been made possible through the continued and valued support of the Federal Government’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) Program. 

Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health sector came together in Brisbane today with National Coordinator of the TIS Unit, Professor Tom Calma AO, to assist in launching a suite of Deadly Choices preventative health promotional assets, including a series of television advertisements, aimed at limiting the number of community members from across the State taking up vaping and smoking. 

Seeking to orchestrate healthier, happier communities right across Queensland, Deadly Choices will shine a light on the endemic global health concerns of vaping among youth, while also targeting the incidence of tobacco smoking among pregnant mothers, plus families living in remote communities, all key directives of IUIH’s integrated Statewide approach via the TIS-Deadly Choices partnership.    

 The major directives of the 2023 Deadly Choices Advertising campaigns, which are voiced by foundation Ambassador and league legend, Steve Renouf, will be to stress to individuals the importance of making deadly, healthy choices, not only for themselves, but for their families and for their communities as a cultural commitment. 

“TIS funding allows Deadly Choices to propagate its preventative health messaging around the dangers of tobacco smoking, from Far North Queensland through the Central and South-Western regions of the State, and from the North Coast all the way down to the border areas of the Gold and Tweed Coasts, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi,” confirmed IUIH Director of Commercial Operations, Dallas Leon. 

“Notably, we’ll establish strategic new partnerships with community-controlled health service organisations from Palm Island, Yarrabah, Nhulundu Health in and around the Gladstone region, North Coast, plus Goolburri Health which has an established footprint across the Darling Downs and South-West. 

“We’ll also strengthen our preventative health practice and messaging in areas of Queensland where Deadly Choices currently delivers health education programs in schools, on behalf of Health and Wellbeing Queensland. 

“The reality is that preventative measures for our people requires a directive towards optimising overall health outcomes, so it’s always about making those deadly, healthy choices by eating good food, exercising regularly, instigating regular health checks at community-controlled health services and staying away from tobacco and alcohol consumption. 

“We’ve already developed a comprehensive, overarching strategy that touches on all these ideals through our Deadly Choices Healthy Lifestyle education program. Additionally, we’ll create a new stock of health promotional assets to drive Statewide advertising and social media campaigns, plus ofcourse ongoing community engagement initiatives, enhanced by the numerous sporting and cultural partnerships of Deadly Choices.” 

Special guests today at the TIS-Deadly Choices partnership included Dolphins outside back, Edrick Lee who along with cousin, Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam feature in the first instalment of an additional multi-faceted health check ad campaign funded by Health and Wellbeing Queensland, to be unveiled during the NRL Finals series. Also in attendance was Internationally acclaimed film director, Wayne Blair from The Producers, who is responsible for all smoking and health check advertising executions; including another dramatically charged offering which hones in on the dangers of women smoking while pregnant, and the potential outcomes for the unborn child. 

Deadly Choices has previously been acknowledged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its efforts in promoting the dangers of smoking among Indigenous communities and has at its disposal an arsenal of health sector service provision experience to enhance protocols against smoking. 

Longstanding relationships with TIS and Quitline, targeted junior and senior tobacco education programs delivered to Primary and Secondary-aged school children, plus close working arrangements with the community-controlled health sector ensures consistent opportunities to highlight the ongoing dangers of smoking and vaping to community members of all ages.