There are more than 1500 smokers in the Wellington Local Government Area (LGA) according to the latest data from the Australian Health Tracker.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The online resource published by the Australian Health Policy Collaboration found 27.1 per cent of adults in the Wellington LGA are smokers, well above the national average of 16 per cent.
The data is based on age standardised rate per 100 population for current smokers aged 18 years and over.
As part of its World No Tobacco Day campaign on Friday, the Western NSW Local Health District marks wants to highlight the message that the single most important step you can take to improve your health is to live a smoke-free lifestyle.
Health promotion officer Siobahn Graham said that while the rate of smoking continued to fall in Australia, tobacco smoking remained the leading cause of disease and premature death and was a leading risk factor for many chronic diseases.
READ ALSO:
"The 2019 WNTD theme highlights the impact of tobacco smoking on the health of our lungs, for example worsening of asthma symptoms, an increased risk of chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer," Ms Graham said.
"Inhaling tobacco smoke not only affects the lung health of smokers, but also the lungs of people breathing in second hand smoke. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of second-hand smoke as their lungs are still developing.
You only get one set of lungs so why risk damaging them by breathing in tobacco smoke?
- Health promotion officer Siobahn Graham
"This really highlights the importance of making sure we all live, work and play in smoke free environments."
Ms Graham said many people in the community would relate to the message behind World No Tobacco Day, whether they were a smoker or not.
"You only get one set of lungs so why risk damaging them by breathing in tobacco smoke?" she said.