Close the Gap on pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who want to quit smoking/vaping.
iSISTAQUIT embraces the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2025 “Bright products. Dark intentions. Unmasking the Appeal.”
The campaign aims to expose industry strategies that manipulate the appearance and appeal of tobacco and nicotine products. By unmasking these tactics, the initiative seeks to raise awareness, promote policy change, and reduce demand, especially among youth.
Each year is an opportunity to reflect on the impact that smoking causes on not just our own health but those around us who are our most vulnerable.
iSISTAQUIT is a wrap-around support for pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who want to quit smoking/vaping. It involves a model of care designed with culturally appropriate national best practice training. iSISTAQUIT provides vital training for Health Professionals and encouragement to communities and pregnant women to quit smoking/vaping.
iSISTAQUIT has continued to support First Nations women across the country with our unique online social media campaigns, we have also moved to the next phase of iSISTAQUIT which is to empower Health Professionals, Allied Health Workers, ACCHO’s, Doctors, Nurses by training organisations with our free iSISTAQUIT smoking and vaping cessation training which provides CPD points and associated educational resources, treatment manual, patient flipcharts and My Journey Booklet for clients resulted from listening to health professionals.
Senior Projects Manager of iSISTAQUIT Rebecca Hyland who is a proud Kamilaroi- Gomeroi woman, says that iSISTAQUIT has come a long way to get to where we are today and that our groundbreaking culturally informed research has empowered community and enabled Health Professionals such as Holly Coppins, Melukerdee, Nurse/Midwife with the confidence to have that sometimes difficult conversation with her clients.
As Holly shares, “Smoking cessation in pregnancy is a passion of mine, and the iSISTAQUIT training has greatly enhanced my confidence and ability to provide better care to my clients.
The iSISTAQUIT resources are highly relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the approach can be applied to anyone and their family on their quit journey. This makes it even more powerful, as you are not only supporting the pregnant mother but also the entire family in creating a healthy environment for all members.
I highly encourage fellow health professionals to take part in this training—it’s an investment in both your professional development and the quality of care you provide to your clients, as well as the ACCHO you work for.”
When we listen to community and ensure that our research is grounded in culture, informed and delivered by community you see positive results on the ground”, iSISTAQUIT’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee is one such structure that enforces the governance necessary for the delivery of culturally informed research and projects grounded in local community knowledges, needs and aspirations. says Professor Gillian Gould.
Last year, the team launched the SISTABIRTH Research Project, based at Southern Cross University, partnering with three unique Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations across the country to improve maternal and baby health outcomes by embedding cultural strength and leadership in care delivery—including through best practice Indigenous-led smoking cessation care using the iSISTAQUIT program.
By acknowledging the interconnectedness of a bub’s wellbeing with its environmental surroundings. SISTABIRTH is an innovative, culturally informed best practice research project providing healthier futures for First Nations families and communities and empowering health practitioners to lead the way, says Aboriginal Project Manager Kym Yuke (Yugambeh).
To learn more about iSISTAQUIT and SISTABIRTH, see the information below.
For iSISTAQUIT, visit
https://isistaquit.org.au/
To access our free online iSISTAQUIT training and resources, please contact the team via isistaquit@scu.edu.au
For SISTABIRTH, reach out to:
Kym Yuke – Program Manager
Kym.yuke@scu.edu.au
As a lasting legacy, we’re creating a Birthing on Country stories book with powerful imagery captured by Bobbi Lockyer.
Interested in joining this movement?
Reach out to:
Kym.yuke@scu.edu.au
