The 10th IPCRG World Conference, hosted by the Primary Care Respiratory Society of Ireland and the International Primary Care Respiratory Group, will take place 6-8 May 2021. Prof Luke Clancy will speak at the Opening Plenary Session on Ireland's Global Success story in Improving Air Quality and also in Stream 2/Session 2 on Passive Smoking & Respiratory Health To register and for further details go to www.ipcrg2021.org. World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) Leadership Summit
The 18th WCTOH is hosting the FIFTH WEBINAR in a series of open-access webinars in the run up to the Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control, 6-7 May 2021.
This webinar will present the latest developments in tobacco control with key lessons and recommendations for advancing justice in health. Within the context of treaty frameworks that have been ratified by Parties, the speakers will highlight how to reduce health inequities by identifying opportunities for progressing tobacco control within existing frameworks for population health, sustainable development, human rights, and the WHO FCTC.
Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Head of the Convention Secretariat WHO FCTC, will facilitate the discussion between expert speakers Mr Dudley Tarlton and Ms Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy.
World Conference on Tobacco Or Health (WCToH) News
The Leadership Summit on Tobacco or Health is to take place 6-7 May 2021 with Mike Bloomberg to deliver the keynote address at the inaugural Session and Stephen Donnelly Minister for Health, Ireland to address the Summit Opening Plenary For further information see https://wctoh.org 18TH WORLD CONFERENCE ON TOBACCO OR HEALTHDublin March 9-11th 2021. Re-scheduled - see more WCTOH events below in News section.
Down To Earth is Newstalk’s dedicated programme about our natural environment and how we address the limits of our planet's resources. From climate change to species extinction, in Down to Earth, Dr Cara Augustenborg covers the toughest challenges with leading experts and celebrated thinkers. In Episode 1 all about air pollution:
Dr Luke Clancy, Director General of TFRI, on life before and after the smoky coal ban.
Dr. Clare Noone, NUI Galway, explains why Ireland’s air quality is no laughing matter.
Martin Fitzpatrick, Air Quality and Noise Control unit, Dublin City Council explains what we need to do next to breathe easier
New European Respiratory Society Monograph published Supporting Tobacco Cessation, January 2021 Dr Joan Hanafin and Prof Luke Clancy contributed to the latest ERS Monograph, Supporting Tobacco Cessation. The Monograph provides a comprehensive overview of tobacco cessation, from health policy to patient care. Broad in scope, this state-of-the art collection is broken down into four sections: the changing landscape of the tobacco epidemic and challenges to curb it; treatment of tobacco dependence (pharmacotherapy, behavioural support); improving the care of patients with particular conditions who smoke (asthma, COPD, TB, cardiovascular diseases, etc.); and prevention. It also deals with some of the more controversial topics such as e-cigarettes and web applications. Readers will gain an understanding of how to implement smoking cessation into their everyday practice, but will also expand their knowledge about the policy and systems changes needed for population-wide smoking cessation. Find it here: https://books.ersjournals.com/content/supporting-tobacco-cessation
The ERS Monograph is the quarterly book series from the European Respiratory Society. Each Monograph covers a specific area of respiratory medicine, providing in-depth reviews that give clinicians at all levels a concise, comprehensive guide to symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Supporting Tobacco Cessation, edited by Sofia Belo Ravara, Elif Dağli, Paraskevi Katsaounou, Keir E. Lewis and Charlotta Pisinger. Optimising health systems to deliver tobacco-dependence treatment Lewis Keir E, Belo Ravara Sofia, Papadakis Sophia, Attar-Zadeh Darush, Hanafin Joan, Clancy Luke, Rasmussen Mette, Katsaounou Paraskevi, Fu Dongbo (2021). In: Belo Ravara S, Dağli E, Katsaounou P, et al., eds. Supporting Tobacco Cessation (ERS Monograph). Sheffield, European Respiratory Society, 2021; pp. 118–135. https://doi.org/10.1183/2312508X.10002520
A new qualitative study from the TobaccoFree Research Institute Irelandexplores young adults’ experiences of using e-cigarettes. Smoking prevalence in Ireland is falling in all age groups in Ireland, but e-cigarette use is rising, particularly among young people. This study, consisting of interviews and focus groups with 18-22year-olds, identified 3 broad themes: features which 1) incentivised use, 2) dis-incentivised use, and 3) failure of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool for this group. Factors encouraging use were price, pleasing taste or flavours and the possibility of indoor use. Much more numerous were negative features relating to adverse health effects (pain, discomfort, sore throat, coughing, headache), bad product taste and faulty devices. As regards smoking cessation they complained that they had wanted to stop and had been told that they worked for stopping smoking but their reality was that it didn’t happen. Prof Clancy said “instead of helping them to stop smoking they reported continuing to smoke or restarted or indeed, started ‘roll-your-own’ for the first time and none of them stayed off cigarettes.” The participants were sceptical about the healthiness of e-cigarettes, concerned about addictiveness and worried about the long-term effects. They were critical of the advertising that had targeted them and indeed, industry strategies. The study conclusion was that regulation of e-cigarettes through age restriction of access, licensing of outlets, pricing, point of sale and advertising restrictions as well as through the banning of indoor use should be considered by legislators and tobacco control policymakers. Dr Joan Hanafin, Director of Social Research, TFRI pointed out that “there were health education opportunities suggested by the study in counteracting the misinformation about e-cigarettes young people are getting, largely through social media. They should be informed of the full facts about e-cigarettes, and also about proven successful smoking cessation methods.” Full paper available here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0244203
TFRI is Irish PI for ESPAD, the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. The ESPAD Ireland Report 2019, based on a survey of 1967 students born in 2003, who were 15-16 years old when the survey was carried out in a sample of Irish schools in 2019, was launched in November 2020 by TFRI and Department of Health. It features information on students’ experience of, and perceptions about, a variety of substances, including: tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, inhalants, pharmaceuticals and new psychoactive substances (NPS). Social media use, gaming and gambling are also covered. This is the seventh data-collection wave conducted by the ESPAD project since 1995, with data collected every 4 years in more than 35 countries.
On 16th November, the Minister of State with Responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, launched ESPAD Ireland 2019. Read the Minister's Press Release here. On the same day, TFRI launched ESPAD Ireland 2019 with this press release below: Main Findings · The decline in smoking has halted in Irish teens for the first time in 25 years (14%), and has significantly increased to 16% in boys while declining slightly to 13.6 in girls Dramatic increase in e-cigarette use, especially among boys 39% have tried AND 16% are current users · Slight increase in drinking and heavy episodic ‘binge’ drinking · Almost 1 in 5 has tried cannabis and 1 in 10 is a current user · More than a third spend more than 6 hours on non-school days on social media · Boys (23%) more likely than girls (7%) to have gambled
Milestones and Challenges of Medical Research On 26th September 2020, Prof Luke Clancy, Director General, TFRI gave a presentation entitled Role of Research in Changing Dublin Smog Forever to FIRMST SS#02 Milestones and Challenges on Medical Research - Panel Discussion
The 18th WCTOH has launched an open-access webinar series ahead of the Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control. The first webinar,Tobacco and COVID-19: understanding the science and policy implications, was held on Tuesday 29 September 2020 at 14:00 – 15:00 CEST. This webinar reviewed the literature on the relationship between smoking and COVID-19 available to date; examined the biological mechanisms and risk factors influencing susceptibility to infection; and discussed opportunities afforded by the pandemic to progress tobacco control and reduce tobacco related deaths. Prof Luke Clancy, Director General of the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland (TFRI) Dublin, facilitated discussion between expert speakers Dr Silvano Gallus, Dr Janice Leung and Dr Catherine O. Egbe. The webinar aimed to: · Make sense of the published results on the prevalence and severity of COVID-19 in smokers · Understand the biological mechanisms at play in the interaction between smoking and Sars-CoV-2, and ACE-2 at organ level in COVID-19 disease · Equip policy makers to prepare for the risks and opportunities which may arise in tobacco control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1st Satellite Event of FIRMST- Forum for Interdisciplinary Research in Medical Science & Technology Panel Discussion on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Abstract Presentations by young scientists (under 35 years) 23rd of August 2020. https://www.firmst.tech/
Conversations on Covid-19 Series This series of webinars, a joint initiative between ESTHER Alliance for Global Health Partnerships and Irish Global Health Network, hosted experts to discuss COVID-19 topics. For the 17th Webinar: Men and Covid 19 – How are men affected by Covid 19 and how can the response better include them?, streamed on 17 July 2020, Professor Luke Clancy, DG, TFRI joined Dr Noel Richardson, Director of the National Centre for Men’s Health in Ireland, Professor Maria Lohan, Chair in Social Sciences and Health, Queens University Belfast, Gary Barker, President and CEO, Promundo-US to discuss: · What disaggregated data exists on Covid 19 with respect to men · How is Covid 19 impacting on men and how are they coping · What should the response be doing more of to better meet the needs of men, women, boys and girls The webinar was moderated by Niall Roche WaSH and Environmental Consultant and Hala Ali Co-coordinator for ESTHER Alliance for Global Health Partnerships. You will find a link to the webinar here and Professor Clancy’s talk on Men, COVID 19 and Smoking is at 46m20s. Here is a summary of the main points made by speakers at the webinar here: https://esther.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Men-and-COVID-19-Webinar-Summary-Final.pdf
TACK SHS: Tackling tobacco-related chronic diseases in Europe: 8_october_tackshs_icolc.docx Novel data from the Horizon 2020 TackSHS project reveals the results of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) from cigarettes and second-hand aerosols (SHA) from electronic cigarettes on the respiratory health of European population, the burden of associated mortality and morbidity, and economic consequences for national and European welfare. Press release from final conference.
New Irish research shows “Allen Carr” is successful for smoking cessation: New study has just been published in the BMJ’s Tobacco Control journal which shows results of the first published Randomised Clinical trial in the world demonstrating that Allen Carr ‘s Easyway to stop smoking is a highly effective treatment to help smokers quit. Full Paper available here.
TFRI deliverable 'Development of policy recommendations' used the empirical evidence generated in the project to develop recommendations for the prevention of youth smoking. More detailed recommendations can be found here.
Youth turning to cheaper Roll Your Own Tobacco Products: Newspaper Link
Tobacco Free Ireland (‘TFI’), the report of the Tobacco Policy Review Group, was endorsed by Government and published in October 2013. An Action Plan for TFI was published in March 2015 and one of its actions committed the Department of Health to publish an annual report on the implementation of the Plan.Considerable progress was made in 2017 in implementing the Action Plan as set out in detail in the Annual Report.
TOB-g project launched its e-learning course November 2017. The Tob-g e-course constitutes a key part of this important project. This course is based on the structure and material of the Tob-g guidelines. Its aim is to provide an individualised approach to smoking cessation within five clearly distinctive sub-populations of smokers, who obviously cannot continue to be treated as a single entity. Teenagers, cardiovascular patients, pregnant women, patients with diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) belong to clearly distinct groups and reasonably so require a tailored approach to treatment.
The first new building to be constructed on the Dublin Institute of Technology Grangegorman campus has been opened.The Greenway Hub will be home to the institution’s postgraduate researchers as well as those commercialising their research and growing spin-out companies. The 5-storey €17 million euro building will host DIT’s Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute (ESHI) with researchers working in areas like vision science, food and water quality, energy, bio monitoring and diagnostics, and health policy development. More news:
Global Public Health Advocates Open New Fronts in War on TobaccoVienna, Austria—December 5, 2016—Efforts to control tobacco as a public health threat have escalated as clinicians and public health advocates have coalesced to beat back threats from tobacco companies through public advocacy, public health, and pension reform. Read more
ESPAD Ireland 2015 published, 20th September, 2016 Ireland’s 2015 report on the European Schools Project on Alcohol & other Drugs in Ireland (ESPAD) finds a dramatic reduction in teenage drinking and smoking but concerns over e-cigarettes, drugs and gambling. Smoking and drinking among 15-16 year-old school students are falling dramatically, but challenges posed by illicit drug use remain. In this age group, Ireland has much lower levels of drinking, binge drinking and smoking than the European average, but higher use of cannabis, inhalants and other drugs. Find out more here.
European Court of Justice upholds Tobacco Products Directive:Great news from the European Court of Justice – all three challenges against the EU Tobacco Products Directive were rejected today May 4th 2016. The Court rejected the challenge brought by Philip Morris and British American Tobacco which sought to invalidate the TPD as a whole, or alternatively various provisions of the Directive including, inter alia, mandatory large pictorial warnings, the ban on characterising flavours and measures concerning tracking and tracing.
An assessment of the economic costs of smoking in Ireland: Key findings: It is estimated that smoking causes 5,870 deaths per annum with an additional 92 per annum as a result of exposure to second hand smoke (SHS). This is an increase from an estimated 5,200 deaths per annum previously calculated, the increase is due to more cancers and respiratory diseases being attributable to smoking than heretofore. Healthcare costs The estimated cost to the healthcare system as a result of smoking is over a half a billion euro (€506 million) as outlined below: · Hospital based costs €211 million · Primary care costs €256 million · Domiciliary care costs €40 million.
