HEALTH EQUITY - Mental Health

The Smokefree Nurses Aotearoa/New Zealand Mental Health Strategy has recently been updated by Mental Health Strategy lead Tio Sewell. The updated strategy identified three leading challenges:

• MENTAL HEALTH NURSING LEADERSHIP: Nurses working in mental health and addictions services are role models and incorporate smoking cessation into their daily practice

• EDUCATION: Nurses in mental health and addiction have knowledge about the harm caused by tobacco  smoking, the benefits of cessation and the the tools used for cessation, and are confident to pass this onto consumers and their whanau

• CESSATION: Smoking cessation must be a part of the care plan of every consumer who smokes tobacco and continues when consumers transition to and from other services.

By addressing these challenges we continue to focus on achieving health equity among mental health service users and nurses working in the mental health sector who have a higher prevalence of smoking. 

RESOURCES:

The Stolen Years: The mental Health and Smoking Action Report: April 2016

Tobacco Smoking and Mental Health: A Policy paper from the Mental Health Foundation

Beyond the ABC: this document designed to help tailor strategies to stop smoking to high-risk groups. It includes information and evidence on supporting smokers who are mental health service users to stop smoking.

Stopping Smoking Improves your Mental Health:  A systemic review and meta analysis on the change in mental health after smoking cessation concludes that stopping smoking improves your mental health.  'Smoking cessation is associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress and improved positive mood and quality of life compared with continuing to smoke. The effect size seems as large for those with psychiatric disorders as those without'.

Tobacco Smoking and Mental Health: A Policy paper from the Mental Health Foundation

PRESENTATIONS:

Smokefree Nurse Symposium 2015.

The following were presented by experienced mental health nurses at our 2015 Smokefree Nurses Symposium.

At the First Australasian Mental Health and Addictions Nursing Conference in June 2013 Smokefree Nurses again had an exhibition stand.  Delegates asked both during and after the conference if they could have copies of one of our graphic posters "Food for Thought"as they wanted to use it in their own settings.  So for those of you who would like a copy, please click here

At the July 2011 NZ College of Mental Health Nurses' Conference, Smokefree Nurses had an exhibition stand and sponsored several people to present. Abstracts, presentations and literature from are available:

Mark Wallace-Bell's, University of Canterbury, presentation (large file)

Fiona Howard's,(Coordinating Consumer Advisor, Canterbury DHB) presentation

Rebecca Missen's (Hawkes Bay DHB) abstract

Sharon Lawn - a Smokefree Future for All