Health Promotion: Gnumaries Hurt
Gnumaries Hurt (“smoking tobacco harms”) is a major focus for SAC’s Health Promotion program which concentrates on the health consequences / understanding of smoking and the process of quitting, working with clients and cessation methods and products.
Tobacco use is still prevalent within Aboriginal communities as adults, and some younger people, continue to freely smoke in public areas, in the vicinity of children and without any real concern for others.
Most smokers see it as their right to smoke and are in denial about the real effects smoking has on themselves and those around them. The Program is however making headway through concerted delivery of workshops, events and activities which include:
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Amcal World Tobacco Day Event
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Community workshops held in Gnowangerup, Katanning, Albany, Tambellup, and Mount Barker
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South Regional TAFE presentations / workshops at both Albany and Katanning campuses
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Albany and North Albany Senior High Schools
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Sorry Day event in Katanning
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Quit Skill Training Courses
AMCAL World No Tobacco Day Event – 31 May 2016
Albany Amcal Chemists collaborated with SAC in holding an information session at their premises on 31 May 2016. The business supports Gnumaries Hurt Program by hosting events like this and supplying products, such as nicotine replacement patches, at a reduced rate to participants of the program, which has produced a few notable success stories in the quit smoking campaign.
Both the Noongar men in the photos below (standing with Mark Colbung – Gnumaries Hurt Program Coordinator) were long term smokers and both have taken major steps towards quitting from a 20 a day habit to none.
Confronting examples (jars) containing tar and nicotine content from a long time smoker’s lungs and the mucous produced when coughed up push home the message “Gnumaries hurt!”
Health Promotion in Schools
We aim to improve Aboriginal students knowledge and encourage them to practice healthy lifestyle behaviours.
Some topics discussed during workshop with students is the number of chemicals found in cigarettes. The workshops are interactive to help keep the students interested and engaged. They are offered an opportunity to blow into a smokerlyzer; this measures the amount of carbon monoxide residue still retained in their lungs. During workshops students are given information on Nicotine Replacement Therapy
