Tobacco corporations target Africa’s children

CHILDREN in Africa have become a target for tobacco companies‚ research by the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) has found.

The survey looked at the way in which tobacco companies in five African countries – Burkina Faso‚ Cameroon‚ Benin and Nigeria – get consumers to keep using their product.

It found tobacco use caused about six million deaths yearly‚ with 80% of them occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Findings show that in Africa‚ smoking prevalence is about 21% among adult men and 3% among women.

About 21% of young boys and 13% of young girls use tobacco products. “The aggressive sale and marketing strategies of the tobacco industry targeting young people will be among the key contributing factors to the growing epidemic of tobacco use in Africa‚” the report said.

Four strategies were identified as being used to lure children to smoke‚ a concern that was highlighted at the launch of the report in Johannesburg recently.

Advertising and promotion, the sale of single cigarettes, child-friendly flavoured cigarettes and noncompliance with existing tobacco control laws were the main causes for an increase in young children’s interest in smoking.

Sales of single cigarettes were found to be widespread near schools.