Tobacco Industry Attempts to Thwart Health Promotion

Initiatives for Tobacco Control in Australia

Laura Bond, Jaimee Coombs, Mike Daube

WA Tobacco Document Searching Program

Background

• 1998 Master Settlement Agreement

• Tobacco industry documents available through online archives

• Tobacco control campaigns• Tobacco industry strategies

Methods•Tobacco document archives:

– Philip Morris Document Site– Legacy Tobacco Documents Library– British American Tobacco Documents

Archive

•Keywords:– Health promotion, health groups– Australia– Tobacco control– Campaign/s– Antis, activists

ResultsGroups:•Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) Australia•Australian Cancer Society•Australian Council on Smoking & Health•Australian Medical Association•Healthway and other Health Promotion

Foundations•National Heart Foundation•Public Health Association (Australia)•The Cancer Foundation WA (Cancer

Council)•WA Health Department

(Philip Morris Australia, 1992)

“Antis” Strategies

•Legislation•Litigation•Exaggeration to attract headlines•Misrepresentation of data•Smokers as victims•Tobacco industry as subversives

(Philip Morris Corporate Affairs, 1995)

Tobacco Industry Strategies

• Monitoring of tobacco control activity• Lobbying government/politicians• Relationships with allied industries and

businesses• Funding ‘research’ to support their

claims• Promoting smokers’ rights • Promoting corporate social

responsibility

National Tobacco Campaign

• Launched in 1997• Target group: 18-40 year old smokers• Collaboration between the Federal,

State and Territory Governments and non-Government organisations

• Multi-tiered campaign• Hard-hitting advertisements• ‘Every cigarette is doing you damage’• Supported by cessation services

(Quitline)

Tobacco Industry Response

• A waste of money and a smokescreen• Unreliable data:

– 70% do not believe anti-smoking campaign best option for Australia

– Anti-smoking campaigns nominated by less than 1% as most important issue facing Australia

• Heavily monitored campaign

Success!

• 190,000 quit smoking within the first six months

• High rates of recall and recognition• Well received by smokers• Increased learning about health effects of

smoking• Calls made to Quitline increased• Saved millions in health costs• International recognition• Younger target group• Support for public education

Graphic Health Warnings Campaign

• Campaign launched Feb 2006• Graphic health warnings 1 March 2006• Tobacco products to be printed with a

rotation of 14 health warnings• Covering 30% front of pack• Covering 90% back of pack• Aims: to increase consumer knowledge of

the health effects of smoking; to encourage cessation; and discourage uptake or relapse

“We question however, the appropriateness of using confronting pictorial warnings to shock and repel consumers of tobacco products.”(British American Tobacco, Submission to the Dept Health and Aged Care, 2001)

“In order to be clear and readable, health warnings do not need to dominate the tobacco product package, overwhelm our trade marks or make the product’s packaging shocking or repulsive.”

“We will oppose any proposal to require oversized and/or graphic warnings.”(Philip Morris, Submission to the Dept Health and Aged Care, 2001)

Tobacco Industry Response

British American Tobacco• Lack of evidence that health warnings will be effective• Current labelling already one of the strongest in the

world• Australians already aware of health risks• Unnecessary financial burden on the industry and

consumers• Will lead to increase in illegal sales and job losses• Denigrate consumers

Philip Morris• Overpowering trade marks of a legal product • Denigrate/devalue the property of the manufacturer of

a legal product• Unreasonably sized warnings would raise serious

issues under domestic and international law

Success!

• Graphic health warnings introduced• Increased knowledge about health

effects of smoking• Encouraged cessation• Discouraged uptake and relapse• Less desirable

WA Health Promotion Foundation

• Healthway was established in 1991 under the Western Australian Tobacco Control Act 1990.

• Discourages tobacco use, promotes good health, prevents illness

• Sponsors sport, arts and racing• Funds health promotion programs

and research

“For boundless hypocrisy the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation has no peer.”

(Australian Retail Tobacconist, 1991)

“These government groups which are funded as hypothecated taxation vehicles by health bureaucrats really must be stopped from spreading.”

(Martin Riordan, WD & HO Wills, 1995)

Tobacco Industry Response

Price Waterhouse Report:• Inconclusive evidence that smoking

will decrease• Reduced government investment in

housing, transport and employment• Increased burden on low income

earners• Tobacco users paying for wide range

of health issues• Long-term negative impact for sport

and arts

• “Extensive evidence overseas and in Australia suggests that even direct advertising has very little effect, if any, in encouraging people including juveniles to smoke. How much less then, would be the influence of sports sponsorships?” (Tobacco Institute Australia, 1988)

• “Banning sponsorship of sporting, cultural and artistic events has no effect on smoking rates.” (Philip Morris Report, 1995)

Success!• Removal of tobacco promotion from

sponsorship and outdoor advertising• Promotion of anti-smoking messages

and targeting hard to reach groups• Banned tobacco-funded research to

WA universities• High recall of health messages• Beneficial to funding recipients

“……It would appear that Healthway has to date operated in an efficient and equitable manner……”

(Price Waterhouse Report, 1991)

Socially Unacceptable

“As reported in the last comprehensive review, the major thrusts of anti-smoking activity have been against flexibility of our products and attempting to portray smoking as socially unacceptable”

(Smoking and Health Report, WD & HO Wills, 1981)

“The anti-smoking movement wants to dictate how others should live their lives.”

(Philip Morris, Industry Issues Report, 1996)

“Smokers are made to feel increasingly alienated and uncomfortable. The antis regularly tell smokers that they are poisoning their families and colleagues, that if they smoke around children they are child abusers, that they are more dangerous drivers and less productive workers than non-smokers. In this way, the social acceptability of smoking is continually being eroded.”

(Philip Morris Corporate Affairs, 1998)

Conclusions

• Tobacco industry awareness of health campaigns

• Tobacco industry strategies• Tobacco control a success in

Australia• More work to be done• Lessons from tobacco transferrable

to other public health issues

“The implications of Australian anti-smoking activity are significant outside Australia because Australia serves as a seedbed for anti-smoking programs around the world.”

(Philip Morris Australia, 1992)

Contact Details

Laura BondCurtin University of TechnologyL.Bond@curtin.edu.au

(08) 9266 7117

http://healthsciences.curtin.edu.au/watdsp/