Fifteen teams that took on the recent challenge to become smoke-free by the end of August were part of a “close race”, says Dr Marewa Glover, Director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research at the University of Auckland. “The results have exceeded even my wildest expectations. Nearly every member of the top three teams stopped smoking during the competition.” The motivation can from the Whanau End Smoking Regional Whanau Ora challenge (WERO), which is a new program being trialled as part of Tobacco Control Research Turanga’s initiative to find faster ways to stop smoking. WERO is based on Maori and Pacific cultural values, which is reflected in the team effort to quit, rather than individual. “Maori and Pacific people have significantly higher rates of smoking than the rest of the population,” says Dr Glover. E-cigarettes and programs such as Quitline also work well with Maori and Pacific people, but the competition will help them reach their goal of halving smoking rates by 2030.

Source:

http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/stop-smoking-competition-tight-race/5/133376