Tobacco Contributes to Inequities

“It's been a dream of mine to go travel …I’d like to go to the Indian Pacific and go over east and do all the stuff, but if I'm a smoker it's going to limit me.” - Male who smokes accessing a mental health service in Perth

Nobody should live in poverty, be socially excluded or die early because of tobacco.

Many people accessing community services face circumstances that make it more likely that they will smoke and make it harder for them to try to quit.

If they continue to smoke, they are more susceptible to intergenerational poverty, and poor health and wellbeing. This can then reduce their capacity to overcome obstacles, therefore feeding the cycle of disadvantage and deprivation.

Cycle of smoking and disadvantage source: tobaccoatlas.org

To improve people’s health and wellbeing, we need to consider all aspects that contribute to social and financial disadvantage. Tobacco must be a part of the conversation.