Prevent youth tobacco use to curb cancers

Lazarus Sauti

At least 20 percent of children under the age of 15 years in Zimbabwe are at a risk of developing cancers and other illnesses such as heart diseases, strokes, diabetes, tuberculosis and pneumonia as they are already smoking.

The Global Youth Tobacco revealed recently that no less than 20 percent of children under the age of 15 years in the country are already smoking tobacco.

“12.4 percent of the children started smoking at the age of 7 years or younger whilst at least 31.8 percent of the students were exposed to tobacco at home and 48.7 percent were exposed to tobacco smoke inside enclosed public spaces,” read the report.

Zimbabwe is not only the country battling the problem as a study released early last year revealed an increase in teenage smoking in Botswana. The Botswana study indicated that 10.8 percent of teenagers are current smokers and the majority of adolescents (61 percent) believe that most people their age smoke.

Zimbabweans should be worried because smoking is a leading cause of cancer and death from cancer, and also research suggests that people who start smoking in their teens and continue for two decades or more, will die 20 to 25 years earlier than those who never lit up.

Dr Anderson Chimusoro of the World Health Organisation (WHO), concurs.

“Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for cancer causing around 20 percent of global cancer deaths and around 70 percent of global lung cancer deaths,” he said, adding that, “Tobacco use causes cancers of the lung, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, colon, and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia.”

According to a study by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, titles: “The Health Consequences of Smoking – 50 Years of Progress: A report of the Surgeon General, 2014”, tobacco smoke contains no less than 69 chemicals that are known to cause cancer.

The study also noted that breathing even a little tobacco smoke can be harmful as passive smoking is a real hazard, as a passive smoker is just as good as an active smoker.

“Of the more than 7.000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide ammonia.

“Among the 250 known harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 69 can cause cancer, and these cancer-causing chemicals include acetaldehyde, aromatic amines, arsenic, benzene, beryllium (a toxic metal), butadiene (a hazardous gas), cadmium (a toxic metal), chromium (a metallic element), cumene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, nickel (a metallic element), polonium-210 (a radioactive chemical element), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and vinyl chloride,” read the study.

Regardless of their age, believes former Health Minister, Dr Henry Madzorera, smokers can substantially reduce their risk of cancer, by quitting.

“For patients with some cancers, quitting smoking at the time of diagnosis may reduce the risk of dying by 30 percent to 40 percent,” he said, adding that for those having surgery, chemotherapy, or other treatments, quitting smoking helps improve the body’s ability to heal and respond to therapy.

Tobacco pricing and stronger regulations are also crucial to addressing the youth tobacco epidemic. Teenagers are particularly sensitive to tobacco pricing; higher prices prevent many of them from becoming regular tobacco users.

Essau Souza, a youth activist, believes tobacco regulations are important if the country is to prevent youth from smoking as well as reduce cancer.

“The percentage of youth smokers who usually obtain tobacco products in shops can be reduced by banning tobacco product sales to minors or enforcing the existing bans,” he said.

Principal Director in the Ministry of Education Jacob Gonese said monitoring is another way of making sure tobacco smoking is banned in schools.

“The report is an eye opener, and the ministry of Primary and Secondary Education supports the ministry of Health and Child Care in ensuring that learners are monitored in ensuring the banning of cigarettes on school grounds,” he said.

Sharing the same sentiments, Tanzikwa Guranungo, communication manager for Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC), adds that there is need for a holistic approach starting with parents, guardians and law enforcements to find ways of stopping this health hazard among young people. 

He added that a lot of awareness campaigns to be undertaken in schools, colleges and other public places where most peers are found.

“There is also need to introduce lessons in both primary and secondary schools on the dangers of early smoking and drug abuse.

“Most young people who smoke end up taking drugs at are harmful to their bodies…this therefore calls for responsible authorities to be always on the lookout for their children,” he said.

Since the students under study said they were influenced by the media to engage in smoking, David Okello, the WHO country representative, said the country should look at ways of monitoring and regulating advertisements and sponsorship from tobacco companies.

“Based on the findings of the 2014 GYTS, we propose the following four broad recommendations which require concerted multi-sectoral efforts by the ministries of Health and Child Care and Primary and Secondary Education, working together with other arms of the government arms of Government and stakeholders, to monitor and regulate tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, especially targeting youth, whilst working on totally banning these practices in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” said Dr Okello.

“This also includes prohibition of all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship that promote a tobacco product by any means that are false, misleading, deceptive or likely to create an erroneous impression about its characters, health effects, hazards or emissions.”