IQALUIT - Nunavut residents trying to quit smoking will now have more support after the territory's nurses and nursing students recently learned new techniques to stop smoking from Ontario.

Jessica Rideout, a respiratory specialist at the Qikiqtani General Hospital, is seated beside information used to help people quit smoking. The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario recently trained the territory's nurses and nursing students on the new practices. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario provided the training in an effort to curb the territory's high smoking rates, said Robin Manoll, a community public health nurse in Iqaluit.

Statistics Canada data shows slightly more than 60 per cent of Nunavummiut smoke, the highest rate among other provinces and territories. This far surpasses the national average of 20.1 per cent.

"We had to come up with a way to sort of make an impact and change the statistics and get rid of smoking," she said.

The workshop details how to quit successfully, she said, adding older guidelines were inconsistent, which frustrated people.

"It's not just a southern-made guideline. It is more based on the actual nicotine addiction and human change behaviour," said Manoll. "This is not just saying, 'Quit, because it's good for you.' This is sort of understanding why we're addicted, what we have to understand ourselves in order to help ourselves quit.

"Cold turkey works for some people, but other people really need to go through a much more elaborate process in order to be successful at quitting."

Manoll said the best practices will support the help quit line. She added the success of the new guidelines will be evaluated as they keep track of patients using them.

Jessica Rideout, a respiratory specialist at the Qikiqtani General Hospital, which is responsible for all of Baffin Island, said her approach will now be different because she is aware of the resources available to people trying to quit smoking, including the quit line.

"We know these patients will get five phone calls for follow-ups," she said. "We will be able to offer those services, whereas before, we might not always get to follow-up with these patients ourselves, as staff. So, someone else is able to do that."

She added focusing on the youth, even at the elementary school level, is a priority.

"I think right now a lot of the focus should be on the youth, just because if we can stop the process when they're young as opposed to when they're older," she said.

"Of course, no matter what age you are, it's important if you smoke, to quit. I think our best approach right now is to really speak to the youth and to make them understand the long-term effects of smoking."

Telehealth, workshops and public service announcements are planned for the communities, said Rideout.

"I think they will be happy to know there is treatment for them, rather than just medications," she said.

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