Smoking Kills: The Introduction of Tobacco Smoking into Aboriginal Society with a particular focus on the Hunter Region of Central Eastern New South Wales from 1800 to 1850
نویسنده
چکیده
This paper brings to the reader‟s attention a history of tobacco smoking that arguably had a negative effect on the health of Aboriginal communities in the Hunter region of central eastern New South Wales during the early colonial contact period from 1800 to 1850. Furthermore, it will also be shown that tobacco was used by colonists to engage the services of Aboriginal people, not only in Aboriginal communities in the Hunter region, but further afield across many other frontiers of colonial expansion in Australia in the 19 th century. It will be demonstrated through primary archival and secondary sources that colonists utilised tobacco as a coercive agent to appease, befriend, pacify, coerce and remunerate Aboriginal People, resulting in widespread addiction. It is argued that tobacco smoking not only undermined the health of traditional communities, but also this unhealthy habit has been largely overlooked in measurements of the impact of colonization on the health of Indigenous people. While historians widely acknowledge that exotic diseases such as smallpox had a negative effect on the health of Aboriginal People, it is rarely considered in contemporary historical accounts that tobacco had an even more insidious effect on the well being of Aboriginal societies during the early colonial contact period. Furthermore, while diseases such as smallpox have hopefully disappeared forever, health destroyers like tobacco have endured and continue to impact on Aboriginal health. Finally, this paper recognises the enormity of challenges faced by health authorities, and indeed Indigenous Australians, in contemporary society in combating a chronic problem that has been embedded in Aboriginal post-colonial culture during the long course of European occupation.
منابع مشابه
Provision of Antenatal Smoking Cessation Support: A Survey With Pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women
INTRODUCTION Guidelines recommend assessment of smoking status, with advice and support for smoking cessation, as a routine and integral part of antenatal care. Approximately 50% of pregnant Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women smoke through pregnancy, 3 times the rate of other pregnant Australian women. This study describes smoking cessation assessment and support reported by...
متن کاملUsing the risk behaviour diagnosis scale to understand Australian Aboriginal smoking — A cross-sectional validation survey in regional New South Wales
OBJECTIVE To validate, for the first time, the Risk Behaviour Diagnosis (RBD) Scale for Aboriginal Australian tobacco smokers, based on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). Despite high smoking prevalence, little is known about how Indigenous peoples assess their smoking risks. METHODS In a cross-sectional study of 121 aboriginal smokers aged 18-45 in regional New South Wales, in 2014,...
متن کاملTobacco smoking among secondary school students in NSW.
In 2005, the New South Wales School Students Health Behaviours Survey asked students aged 12–17 years a range of questions about smoking prevention, behaviour, addiction and influences. This article describes results for selected questions. Further details on the survey methods, questions asked and complete results for smoking and other health behaviours can be obtained from the New South Wales...
متن کاملNew developments in tobacco control.
Welcome to Issue 3 of Public Health Research & Practice, where we explore the theme of tobacco control and the opportunities for policy makers and practitioners to work to reduce the burden of tobacco-related disease on government, the healthcare system and communities. There is general consensus that Australia’s comprehensive approach to tobacco control – strong regulation at federal and state...
متن کاملP-176: Infertility and Smoking
Background: Approximately 30% of reproductive age women and 35% of reproductive age men in the United States smoke cigarettes. Substantial harmful effects of cigarette smoke on fecundity and reproduction have become apparent but are not generally appreciated. smoking is becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world as in eastern Mediterranean and Arabic countries including Iran. The ...
متن کامل