An Indigenous-led intervention program tackling smoking and vaping - the leading preventable cause of chronic disease and preventable death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people — will be upscaled nationally.
The Which Way? Quit Pack pilot program developed by a Newcastle research team has been awarded a $4.7m Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)* Indigenous Health Research grant through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Which Way? Quit Pack research team members (l-r) Felicity Collis (Gomeroi), Kayden Roberts-Barker (Wiradjuri), Jessica Bennett (Gamilaroi) and lead researcher Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy (Wiradjuri).
Led by Wiradjuri woman, University of Newcastle Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy, of the HMRI** Equity in Health and Wellbeing program, the Which Way? smoking and vaping cessation program builds on existing research by the team, to evaluate the impact of the innovative intervention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents and adults.
In 2025, one third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people report smoking.
Recent evidence suggests that 31 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and 22 per cent of young people have used e-cigarettes or vapes.
The national Which Way? project, which will include an economic evaluation of its effectiveness and long-term sustainability, will be the largest smoking cessation trial ever conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"We have already supported more than 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to quit smoking and vaping in NSW, Victoria and the ACT through the pilot Which Way? programs," Associate Professor Kennedy said.
"Our pilot data has reported the highest quit rates of any smoking cessation study in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander setting, with our pilot reporting 34 per cent of participants are remaining smoke and vape free at six months, compared to 11 per cent previously."
The Which Way? Quit Pack program has been shaped by the research feedback, priorities and solutions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, offering individualised support on their journey to quit smoking and vaping.
Weaving together Indigenous knowledges and evidence-based cessation techniques, the Which Way? program includes a mailout pack containing community-developed health information and resources on different ways to initiate and sustain a quit attempt, information cards on existing government-provided online support options such as phone apps, as well as combination Nicotine Replacement Therapy (cNRT).
All participants also have accessible phone and text-based support from the trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team based at the University of Newcastle.
"In addition to being the most modifiable risk factor contributing to chronic disease and preventable death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, smoking is the risk factor most responsible for the gap in disease burden in 2011, accounting for 23 per cent of the total gap," Associate Professor Kennedy said.
Reducing rates of smoking is a primary target for prevention of multi-morbidity and a key national priority reflected in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023, the National Closing the Gap Health Campaign and the National Preventative Health Strategy 2021-2030.
The National Preventive Health Strategy has a specific target to reduce the daily smoking rate among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and above to 27 per cent or less by 2030.
"This target's deadline is only five years away. Our people need increased access to culturally safe and responsive supports for quitting. Which Way? Quit Pack addresses this and will offer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia that support, mailed to their door and over the phone," Associate Professor Kennedy said
"The failure to address the persistently high smoking rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is not a failure of our people, it is a failure of the health system which has not provided us with culturally responsive and accessible evidence-based smoking cessation support."
This study will directly support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to quit smoking and/or vaping, immediately increasing quit rates with evidence-based, clinically recommended care offered in a culturally responsive way.
"The national trial will provide critical insight into cost-effectiveness and long-term sustainability of the program and could underpin a substantial breakthrough for public health policy and practice, leading to improvements in intergenerational health and wellbeing," Associate Professor Kennedy said.
The Which Way? Quit Pack program is an example of the University of Newcastle's commitment to helping its communities live better, healthier lives.
*The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is a $22 billion long-term investment supporting Australian health and medical research. The MRFF aims to transform health and medical research and innovation to improve lives, build the economy and contribute to health system sustainability.
**HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.
