No smoking allowed

THOUSANDS of Northern Cape residents are among the nearly 10 million South Africans who are encouraged to refrain from lighting up for 24 hours as the World Health Organisation (WHO) observes World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) today.

With nearly one in five, or 17.8 percent, of the province’s population using tobacco products, the Northern Cape has the second highest prevalence of cigarette smokers in the country and is the highest consumer of other forms of tobacco.

These were among the concerns that the national and provincial gover nments aimed to address in May as the WNTD signals the end of Anti-Tobacco month.

“The WHO and affiliated partners mark WNTD by raising awareness of the multiple serious health risks linked to tobacco use,” explained spokesperson for the national Health Department, Tlou Tlhako, yesterday. “This is in addition to campaigning for the introduction of more efficient policies that will help to decrease worldwide tobacco consumption.” “For WNTD, all smokers around the world are encouraged to abstain from all types of tobacco consumption on 31 May for a 24-hour period.”

With nearly 8 million South Africans consuming roughly 27 billion cigarettes on an annual basis, smoking remains the country’s leading cause of preventable illness and deaths from lung cancer, as well as a major contributor to tuberculosis and heart disease.

“It also reduces the life expectancy of a smoker on average by 10 years.”

Tlhako added that it was not only smokers who were at risk but also those around them.

“WHO estimated that in 2012 tobacco killed 6 million people worldwide, of whom 600 000 were non-smokers killed by inhaling environmental tobacco smoke. In particular, children are at great risk of having an increased frequency of respiratory symptoms and infections, and decreased lung function.”

Research confirms the detrimental effects of tobacco with the latest South African Global Youth Tobacco Survey reporting that 17 percent of Grade 8 to Grade11 pupils smoke cigarettes regularly.

A more recent study found similar figures among Western Cape university students, with the use of waterpipes, commonly known as hubbly bubblies or hookahs, rapidly increasing.

Sixty-six percent of high school pupils don’t feel confident enough to ask someone not to smoke around them.

There are fewer smokers in South Africa today than there were in 2000, with only 19 percent of the population over the age of 15 smoking in 2015 as compared to 24 percent of the population in 2000, according to the World Bank.

“This is largely attributed to the government measures introduced since the dawn of democracy to control tobacco use,” added Tlhako.

“While considerable gains have been made in reducing tobacco use over the past 23 years, tobacco use and its determinants need to be monitored to ensure that tobacco control strategies remain effective. Tobacco use has no benefits at all.”