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What you can do as a health-care provider Equitable approaches Children & youth

Tobacco & Vaping Information for Health Professionals

Improve the health of your patient or client by addressing their tobacco and vaping products use.

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Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in B.C, claiming over 6,000 lives every year in our province. Helping people reduce and quit is vital to decrease the burden of disease. The single best thing a person can do for their health is to quit smoking.

  • Almost 40 per cent of Canadian smokers tried to quit in the past 12 months
  • Most tobacco and vapour users want to quit but may need additional support to be successful
  • Tobacco and vapour users expect their health-care provider to ask them about their use

What you can do as a health-care provider

Health-care professionals play an important role in screening the use of tobacco and vaping and offering support to their clients.

  • The BC Lifetime Prevention Schedule Practice Guide recommends that primary care professionals offer advice and help to quit to all patients 19 years of age or older
  • There are many benefits for surgical patients to become smoke-free prior to surgery
  • People suffering from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes can improve their health outcomes by quitting
  • Inpatients and long-term care facility residents can benefit from consistent support to manage withdrawal and advice to quit

In this brief video for QuitNow, Dr. Khara explains how clinicians can use a brief intervention to help their patients quit.

Want to learn more about how you can help? Contact the Legal Substances Team via email and check out the resources below.

Resources for health-care professionals

Equitable approaches

When working to reduce the harms of commercial tobacco products, it is important to be aware of the impact of as well as determinants of health and take a health equity approach.

Some groups of people are more impacted by smoking than others. This is often due to the effects of colonization, the targeting of minorities by the tobacco companies and overall social discrepancies that contribute to health inequities. Learn more about the groups of people most affected by tobacco below.

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected by the use of commercial tobacco, and consequently becoming increasingly impacted by chronic diseases related to smoking. This is often due to colonial policies and practices and the effects of intergenerational trauma, which also affects Indigenous peoples lives and health in many other ways. It is estimated that over 30 percent of Indigenous persons living in BC are smokers, a rate that is much greater than of non-Indigenous individuals.

It is important to note that the traditional, ceremonial and sacred use of tobacco is a beneficial activity and not linked to negative health outcomes.

Holistic approaches that considers the social determinants of health and takes into account the person’s cultural and spiritual perspectives can be effective in supporting Indigenous peoples that use commercial tobacco.

Resources

LGBTIQIA2S+ people

The smoking rate among the LGBTQIA2S+ community ranges from 24 per cent to 45 per cent, and is highest among bisexual individuals. There might be an intersectionality of factors that play a part in why LGBTQIA2S+ people use tobacco or vape. The higher stress levels stemming from discrimination and social stigma, culture, prevalence of other substance use and the demographic specific targeting by the tobacco industry may all be related to the higher rates of smoking in this community. It is also important to note the importance of increasing this community’s access to health care through respectful, non-stigmatizing and adequate service.

Watch personal stories and perspectives from the members of this community

Resources: 

People experiencing mental health & substance use challenges

Many clients receiving mental health and substance use (MHSU) services would like to quit. Therefore, should be offered a holistic approach that includes tobacco and/or vaping cessation support.

There is a much higher prevalence of tobacco use among people experiencing mental illness and substance use challenges than in the general population. Tobacco companies have historically targeted this population, which is a contributing factor.

Smoke-free policies and cessation intervention in the MHSU context are not associated with poor treatment outcomes. In fact, there are many benefits to supporting people receiving MHSU treatment to quit smoking simultaneously, such as:

  • Improvements to the overall health of clients
  • Supporting people’s financial recovery or goals because much of a heavy smoker’s income goes towards tobacco
  • Helping people recover from other substance use problems and protect against relapse
  • Reducing anxiety and depression in the long-term
  • Lessening risk of pharmacological interference because smoking affects the metabolism and potentially the effectiveness of many medications

Resources

Children & youth

Preventing and addressing tobacco use and vaping among young people is an essential part of reducing their health risks. We know that youth who are exposed to nicotine are more likely than adults to develop an addiction because youth brains are still developing and building permanent neural connections. Moreover, the use of nicotine-containing products has the ability to prime the adolescent brain for addiction to other substances later on in life. This may be the reason why the vast majority of long-term smokers start before they are 18 years-old.

There are also concerns with the introduction of vaping into the market. Research indicates it may lead to smoking, and the long-term health impacts of vaping are still unknown. Emerging information shows vaping is associated with various health problems, such as:

  • Cardiovascular and pulmonary disease;
  • Changes to brain development;
  • Mental health problems;
  • Other problematic substance use;
  • Accidental injuries.

Clinicians and primary care professionals can make a difference by asking children and youth about their and their parents’ tobacco and vapour products use, offering prevention information or advice about how to quit, as appropriate.

Resources

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