Oral Tobacco and Nicotine Products in Aotearoa NZ w Dr Jude Ball.

Dr. Louise Kuegler discusses the rising prevalence of oral tobacco and nicotine products, particularly among youth in New Zealand, with Dr. Jude Ball. They explore the differences between oral tobacco and nicotine products, their usage patterns, safety concerns, and the implications for public health. The conversation also touches on the role of these products in smoking cessation, regulatory challenges, and the need for further research in this area.

In this episode we cover:

1. Who is using oral nicotine products
2. Safety and harms
3. The role of oral nicotine in smoking cessation
4. A case discussion
5. Policy, advocacy, and guidance
6. Looking forward

Practical clinical pearls:

1. Know what’s out there – pouches and lozenges are on the rise.
2. Ask routinely – patients may use them alongside smoking or vaping.
3. Safer ≠ safe – risks include nicotine dependence, oral disease, and cardiovascular harm.
4. Evidence is limited – they don’t outperform proven NRT.
5. Advocate – clinicians and parents should push back against normalisation of nicotine and call for strong regulation.

Guest bio:

Dr Jude Ball is a senior research fellow affiliated to the ASPIRE Aotearoa tobacco control research centre University of Otago, HePPRU, and the Adolescent Health Research Group (the team behind the Youth 2000 survey series). She joined the Department in November 2014 with a background in critical psychology, health promotion and applied research. She completed a PhD in 2019 exploring the drivers of long-term trends in adolescent risk behaviour, in particular smoking, cannabis use, binge drinking and sexual behaviour. Her research focuses on the impact of the changing social context on youth trends, and the inter-relationships between smoking and other risk behaviours in young people. Alcohol and drug harm and mental health promotion are also areas of research interest.

Resources:

https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/oral-tobacco-and-nicotine-products-quitting-aid-or-teen-addiction-risk

https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/oral-nicotine-products-expanding-nicotine-marketplace

https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/can-oral-tobacco-and-nicotine-products-help-people-stop-smoking

https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/nicotine-pouches-and-young-people-evidence-aotearoa-new-zealand

https://vapefreekidsnz.org/

https://www.asthmafoundation.org.nz/resources/quit-vaping-reference-guide

Email me:

thespecialistgp@outlook.co.nz

Listen Here:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/oral-tobacco-and-nicotine-products-in-aotearoa-nz-w/id1845748299?i=1000742210847

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2oubyAdg31qly39OtvfGLV?si=3YdIDBoJSDeZq7XhCP6rXg