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Preventing tobacco use

Two middle aged women sitting on a park bench.

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Victoria. It costs 4000 lives and $5 billion each and every year.

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World-leading innovation – led by VicHealth in partnership with Quit Victoria, the Department of Health and others – has halved the rate of Victorians who smoke regularly to an all-time low.

VicHealth was established in 1987 with a tax on tobacco, pledged as part of the Victorian Tobacco Act of that year. Since then, we have been a leading light in the fight for a healthier, smoke-free Victoria.

Preventing tobacco use was one of the five strategic imperatives identified for action to improve the health of all Victorians. A 10-year goal was set that 400,000 more Victorians would be tobacco-free by 2023.

Preventing uptake, promoting and supporting cessation, and reducing people's exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke are the key pillars to reducing harm from tobacco in Victoria.

Adult smoking rates

The most recent data (2018) shows that 10.7% of Victorian adults regularly smoke, down from 13.5% in 2015.

Despite the achievements in reducing overall smoking prevalence in the general Victorian population, smoking rates are higher among the most socially and economically disadvantaged groups. As such, a key focus of our current investment in Quit Victoria is to engage with partners to increase the reach and impact of smoking cessation within high smoking rate populations.

 

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Tobacco strategy

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VicHealth's Action Agenda 2019-2023 reaffairms the goal that 400,000 more Victorians will be tobacco free by 2023.

Four young adults walking up stairs and not using tobacco.
Artwork by Dexx (Gunditjmara/Boon Wurrung) ‘Mobs Coming Together’ 2022
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VicHealth acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.

Artwork Credit: Dexx (Gunditjmara/Boon Wurrung) ‘Mobs Coming Together’ 2022, acrylic on canvas. Learn more about this artwork.