Smoking, Inequity and Heart Health

ASH is leading a project with partners the Heart Foundation, Hāpai te Hauora, Pacific Heartbeat and Tala Pasifika to tackle the unmet needs of heart patients who smoke.

The Project goal is to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and reduce inequities by identifying ways to better support people at high risk of CVD to become and remain smokefree.

The focus is:

• To have a primary focus on Māori and Pacific patients hospitalised for cardiovascular disease, and at risk of secondary events
• To influence the cardiovascular health system to be more responsive and effective in supporting patients to stop smoking
• To map the wider systems that influence smoking behaviours in CVD patients