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Advocates Harp On Rescuing African Children From Addiction To Tobacco Products, Industry Interference

Joshua Okoria May 31, 2024

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By Edu Abade

Tobacco control advocates from several African countries have stressed the need to rescue children of the continent from addiction to smoking, use of other deadly tobacco products and industry interference using different tactics to lure teens and adolescents into the ‘tobacco snare of diseases and death.’

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The advocates revealed that research has shown that about a third of youth experimentation with tobacco results from industry marketing and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS), maintaining that globally, over 78 percent of young people between the ages of 13 and 15 report regular exposure to some tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

They alerted parents, guardians and Africans to the fact that more recent research shows that children as young as 10 are also getting inducted into smoking due to their exposure to the internet and other factors that we will hear about today.

Executive Director, Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Philip Jakpor; Executive Director of Vital Voices Africa (VVA), Caleb Ayong; Executive Director of Being Africa, Achieng Otieno; Mohammed Maikuri of Development Gateway (DG); Oluchi Joy Robert and Communications Specialist, Centre for Primary Care Research, Lusaka, Zambia, Paxina Phiri, stated this in a Webinar to mark this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD).

Speaking on the theme: Protecting Children From Tobacco Industry Interference, Jakpor stated that tobacco use remains the single most preventable cause of death globally and that tobacco kills about half of its users.

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He said: “By 2030, the World Health Organisation (WHO) projects that tobacco will kill over 8 million people yearly, with most of the deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries. Tobacco is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.

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“The theme for this year’s WNTD aims to put pressure on national governments to implement comprehensive policies to prevent the tobacco industry from grabbing the lungs of our children as replacement smokers.”

Sharing experience of how the Tobacco Industry Addicts Children, Oluchi Robert said Nigeria, being the world’s seventh most populated country, has been recognised by major transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) as a market with enormous income potential due to its large youth population and expanding Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

She explained that the tobacco industry in Nigeria targets children and young people through various tactics through products marketing, advertising product placements in movies, music videos and use of social media to reach the younger audience flavoured products and their accessibility.

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In his intervention, Ayong, who restated VVA’s commitment to end the tobacco industry’s manipulative tactics and strategies in targeting youths as replacements for the 8 million people who die every year from tobacco-related causes, insisted that the tobacco industry’s tactics are cunning-targeting our youth, enticing them with flavored products and perpetuating addiction.

“But we stand against this predatory marketing. Our mission is to shield our children from the clutches of tobacco, empower them with knowledge and advocate for policies that prioritize their health.

“Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide with at least 8 million tobacco-attributable deaths occurring every year. Nearly nine of 10 smokers start smoking before the age of 18. Nicotine addiction begins during adolescence when young brains are still developing, so the tobacco industry strategically targets youth, aiming to replace the lives lost to their deadly products.

“Also, 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be achieved with tobacco industry operations. And while SDG 3 promotes universal health coverage, disease prevention and mental health promotion, tobacco use directly contradicts these goals, causing diseases like cancer, heart ailments and respiratory disorders. Tobacco infringes upon children’s basic rights to health and welfare, while child labour in tobacco production persists in most parts of Africa,” he stated.

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In his presentation on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Children’s Rights, Otieno, who cited statistics from the WHO, said tobacco use is the biggest threat to public health and is responsible for over 8 million preventable deaths worldwide.

“As a result, WHO came up with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to help governments curb the global tobacco epidemic, adding that the objective of the WHO-FCTC is to protect the present and future generations from the devastating health, environmental and socio-economic consequences of tobacco (and nicotine products) consumption and involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke,” he said.

On his part, Mohammed Maikuri, said the Development Gateway (DG) in collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, leads the DaYTA (Data on Youth Tobacco in Africa) programme focusing on addressing critical data gaps related to adolescent tobacco use in Nigeria.

He said: “This initiative aims to gather comprehensive country-level data on tobacco use among young people aged 10 to 17, thereby filling critical evidence gaps and complementing existing data. The research consortium includes key national and regional stakeholders from various sectors.”

Maikuri highlighted some of the key issues to include the health impact of tobacco use as a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer and other severe health conditions, second-hand smoke which causes 1.2 million deaths and 65,000 child deaths yearly, the economic burden of smoking, estimated at US$ 1.4 trillion annually, as well as the tobacco industry’s marketing strategies that target adolescents and exploit their lack of awareness and resilience to nicotine addiction.

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In her presentation on Effective Reporting of Children and Tobacco Addiction, Paxina Phiri, stressed that reporting children and tobacco addiction is a critical issue that requires careful consideration and a responsible approach, adding that journalists must have a thorough understanding of the issues.

She disclosed that Zambia has easy access to tobacco products including e-cigarettes that are freely displayed in shopping malls, adding that cigarettes are freely sold near schools and kiosks near homes where children can easily access them.

“Tobacco addiction among children is a significant public health concern. It often begins in childhood or adolescence, with almost 40 percent of children aged three to 11 years being regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. The effects of tobacco use and exposure can be long-lasting and contribute to health disparities,” she said.

Phiri said factors that contribute to tobacco addiction among children in Zambia include accessibility, affordability, marketing and positive coverage that tends to portray tobacco as glamorous in movies, films and stalls that sell them, adding that in spite of industry influence, regulatory constraints and other challenges, the key elements of effective reporting include accuracy, sensitivity and awareness

Also, in his presentation titled: Producing Captivating Reports on Youth Tobacco Smoking, Jakpor maintained that the media shapes tobacco-related knowledge, opinions and influences individuals and policy-makers, adding that the mass media anti-tobacco campaigns are key components of the tobacco control (TC) programmes of signatories to the WHO-FCTC.

He urged journalists to source impactful stories from tobacco farms; factories; social media platforms; hospitals; schools; entertainment centers; homes of victims and shopping malls

“For stories to be seen as credible the right people should be interviewed. Some of them are tobacco farmers, students, Children themselves, parents, medical professionals, government officials, victims of tobacco use, tobacco control groups and teachers, among others,” he said.