No smoker left behind: it’s time to tackle tobacco in Australian priority populations

A truly comprehensive approach to tobacco control should include interventions targeting high risk groups

Australia is a world leader in tobacco control as a result of implementing the strong tobacco control strategies in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (http://www.who.int/fctc/en). The Australian adult daily smoking prevalence is 14%1 compared with 31% in 1986,2 with a government goal to reduce this prevalence to 10% by 2020.3 Recently employed tobacco control strategies include increased taxation and plain cigarette pack legislation, supported by strong legislative, economic and community commitment to significantly reduce tobacco use in our society. These strategies motivate smokers to quit. For example, data from the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey4 indicate that high cigarette prices are a key motivator to attempt to quit or reduce the number of cigarettes smoked.