Thomas DP.  National trends in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking and quitting.  ANZJPH 2011; 35: xx-xx

From 1994 to 2008, male Indigenous smoking prevalence fell by 0.4% p.a. in both remote and non-remote areas.  Female Indigenous smoking fell by 0.5% p.a. in non-remote areas but increased by 0.4% p.a. in remote areas.  From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of ever-smokers who had quit increased by 1% p.a.
ANZJPHeTables_1994 to 2008

Thomas DP, Fitz JW, Johnston V, Townsend J, Kneebone W. Wholesale data for surveillance of Australian Aboriginal tobacco consumption in the Northern Territory.  Tob Control 2011;20:291-295. doi: 10.1136/tc.2010.042473

Describes experience of a research project using wholesale data to monitor trends of tobacco consumption in remote NT Aboriginal communities.  Greater consumption in Top End than Central Australia, no significant overall trend in consumption, 24% of tobacco consumed as loose tobacco. Now routine practice in all NT as a condition of new Tobacco Retail Licenses.

Johnston V, Thomas DP, McDonnell J, Andrews RM.  Maternal and household smoking behaviours during pregnancy and postpartum: findings from an Indigenous cohort in the Northern Territory.  Med J Aust 2011; 194: 556-559.

An increase in smokefree households following birth of a child, but also an increase in maternal smoking after birth.  Supports a ‘continuum of care’ model of smoking cessation and relapse prevention that starts before conception or in early pregnancy and continues through to the postnatal period, when the risk of smoking relapse is high.

Pierce JP, Messer K, White MM, Cowling DW, Thomas DP.  Prevalence of Heavy Smoking in California and the United States, 1965-2007.  JAMA 2011; 305: 1106-1112.

Describes the virtual disappearance of pack-a-day smoking in California, followed by the rest of US.

Thomas DP, Glover M.  Smoking and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori children.  Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2010; 46: 516-20.

Summarises current research about smoking and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori children’s health.

Thomas DP, Johnston V. Incentives for preventing smoking in children and adolescents (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD008645. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008645.

Protocol for systematic review.  Review underway.

Butler R, Chapman S, Thomas D, Torzillo P.  Low daily smoking estimates derived from sales monitored tobacco use in six remote predominantly Aboriginal communities.  Aust NZ J Public Health 2010; 34:S71-5

Low average number of cigarettes smoked per smoker in six Central Australian Aboriginal communities.

Brimblecombe J, McDonnell J, Barnes A, Dhurrkay JG, Thomas DP, Bailie R.  Impact of income management on store sales in Northern Australia. Med J Aust 2010; 192: 549-554.

The introduction of income management had no significant impact on tobacco sales.

Johnston V, Walker N, Thomas DP, Glover M, Chang AB, Bullen C, Morris P, Brown N, Vander Hoorn S, Borland R, Segan C, Trenholme A, Mason T, Fenton  D and Ellis K.  The study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a family-centred tobacco control program about environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) to reduce respiratory illness in Indigenous infants. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:114.  Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/114

Protocol of randomised controlled trial of a family-centred tobacco control program about environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) to reduce respiratory illness in Indigenous infants in Darwin and Auckland.  The study known as ‘Healthy Starts’ in Darwin and ‘Te Piripohotanga’ in Auckland is currently underway.

Johnston V, Thomas DP.  What works in Indigenous tobacco control?: The perceptions of remote Indigenous community members and health staff.  Health Promotion Journal of Australia 2010; 21:45-50.

Health staff and community members in remote Aboriginal communities perceived that several evidence-based primary care cessation strategies and smoke-free areas were likely to be effective, but doubted that unmodified Quit programs would work in this setting.  There were conflicting opinions about the likely effectiveness of tax increases and mainstream social marketing campaigns in this setting.

Thomas DP, Johnston V, Fitz JW.  Lessons for Aboriginal tobacco control in remote communities: an evaluation of the Northern Territory ‘Tobacco Project’ Aust NZ J Public Health 2010;34:45-9.

Minimal impact of this Project on tobacco consumption, but consistent association between level of local tobacco control activity on-the-ground and impact.