Youths top tobacco abuse list, study says
A study conducted in four counties has shown that the prevalence of tobacco use among the youth in Kenya is 36.7 per cent, compared to 11.6 per cent among the older population.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe says this means that while one out of ten adult Kenyans uses tobacco products, three out of ten youths are consumers of the products.
The statistics are part of preliminary findings of a study conducted in Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi counties since March with a sample population of 1,600 youth.
“There is a higher percentage of users of tobacco and nicotine products among university students compared to the rest of the populace,” said Kagwe, in a speech presented on his behalf by Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache to mark the World No Tobacco Day.
Social media
The study shows a majority of respondents, 44.8 per cent, were influenced by friends, 17.5 per cent got initiated by peers, while 26 per cent were influenced by other elements such as use of social media.
“It means that friends and peers play a significant role in influencing and introducing the youth to the use of tobacco and nicotine products followed by social media,” said the CS.
The majority of the respondents, 82 per cent, agreed that smoking is extremely harmful to their health.
Some 10.3 per cent of the respondents said smoking was slightly harmful while 6.6 per cent were not sure whether it is dangerous.
A small proportion, 2.3 per cent, of the respondents said cigarette smoking was not dangerous.
“This means there was a high level of awareness on the adverse effects of cigarette smoking among youth,” he added.
The CS urged relevant government agencies to raise the awareness level to 100 per cent.
About 57.8 per cent of respondents said nicotine and tobacco products were sold in their surroundings.
The CS said this was an indication that most youth can easily access tobacco and nicotine products.
Some 53.7 per cent of respondents said awareness programmes were available around their residential areas, while 46.3 per cent said they were not available.
Kagwe said stepping up of awareness programmes among the youth and the general public was urgently required.
Although the mean age of starting the use of tobacco and nicotine products is 21, he said some were introduced as early as seven years.
“The Ministry of Health is determined to ensure the fight against use of tobacco and nicotine products is informed by reliable data and evidence to avoid wobbling in the dark in the ongoing campaigns. Granted that the use of these products appears to affect young people most, the Tobacco Control Board has been in the process of conducting a rapid survey among the youth to investigate the rate of use of tobacco and nicotine products,” said the CS.
He said tobacco products contain 7,000 chemicals which include cancer-causing agents, irritants and poison among others that are injurious to human health.
The Minister said consumption of tobacco products is harmful to people living or working with tobacco users including women, children and people working in the hospitality industry.
Kagwe also stated that tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke are major risk factors for non-communicable diseases such as cancer of every part of the body, high blood pressure, stroke, bronchitis, asthma and obstructive airway disease, infertility, impotence and low libido, stillbirths, sudden infant death syndrome, organ damage leading to renal failure, liver failure, blindness and dying of limbs leading to amputation.
