Stroke disproportionately impacts the Indigenous population, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than 1.7 times more likely to be hospitalised for stroke than all non-Indigenous people.
Professor David Thomas from the Stroke Foundation Health Promotion Advisory said those who smoked were twice as likely to experience a stroke.
“Smoking increases blood pressure and reduces oxygen in the blood, and high blood pressure can lead to stroke,” Professor Thomas said.
“It is pleasing to see smoking rates coming down in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We’re now seeing fewer young people taking up the habit and more smokers quitting.”
More than 27,400 Australians will have a stroke for the first time in their lives this year. There will be one stroke every 19 minutes.
“It is always a good idea to quit smoking and it’s an even better decision to avoid starting in the first place,” Professor Thomas said.
“Stroke Foundation welcomes the investment over the last decade in reducing smoking through the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program which brings together information and evidence to establish what works in Indigenous communities.
“We congratulate all smokers who have quit recently as this will dramatically reduce their risk of stroke and many other health conditions.”
For more information about quitting, call the National Quitline on 137 848 (13 QUIT) today.
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