Tanzania: Research Says 16 Percent of Adults Smoke

Source from:  Tanzania Daily News  12/05/2013

A RECENT study has revealed that an estimated 16 per cent of adults in Tanzania smoke tobacco, a figure that is worrying health practitioners in the country and driving them to take action.

A researcher at the National Institute of Medical Health, Dr Mary Mayige told the 'Sunday News' in Dar es Salaam recently that tobacco would be featuring in the forthcoming International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) meeting to be held between September 29 and October 1 in Arusha this year.

"Tobacco is a big concern to us because we see how cigarette companies are targeting the youth, something that shouldn't be done," she said. The STEPS survey in Tanzania was a population-based survey of adults aged 25-64. A multistage cluster sampling design was used to select a representative sample for that age range.

A total of 5680 adults participated in the Tanzania STEPS survey with an overall response rate of 94.7 per cent. Dr Mayige said that evidence is showing that tobacco markets in the western world are slowly losing their ground and that efforts needed to be intensified to ensure the same happens here.

She said that because these companies are losing their markets, they have now turned to developing countries. "Tobacco is one area where there is conflict between health practitioners and people in political spheres.

In the Western world it is against the law to say manufacturers of fizzy drinks to sponsor children's programmes but here these things go unchecked which isn't good," she said.

Dr Mayige said that tobacco use needed to be tackled at all angles and tougher laws needed to be enacted particularly in how these products are marketed.

According to the 2012 Tanzania STEPS survey, 11.8 per cent of those who took part in the survey smoke on a daily basis while 15.9 per cent of the population are current tobacco users both smoke and smokeless tobacco and that 79.8 per cent are daily smokers smoking manufactured cigarettes.

The fact sheet also cited that a whopping 97.2 per cent of the 5680 adults who participated in the survey ate less than five servings of fruit/vegetables on average per day and that 32.4 per cent are not engaging in vigorous activity.

The STEPS survey of chronic disease risk factors in Tanzania was carried out in phases from February to October 2012.

In relation to this, through the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS), a ONE HEALTH consortium of southern African medical and veterinary, academic and research institutions involved with infectious diseases of humans and animals in the DRC , Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania is helping to look at the matter at a bigger scope.

The NIMR Director General, Dr Mwele Malecela and first woman and African to be appointed the Vice President of IANPHI said at a press conference that Tanzania has this year the honour of hosting the meeting and that over 150 participants will be attending coming from 73 countries.

Dr Malecela said that the meeting like give health practitioners an opportunity to share experiences on different issues that are challenging the health sector and to come up with innovative professional ways to deal with them.

"This will also be a platform for the participants to come up with ways of how to meet the Millennium Development Goals because signs of meeting these goals are not promising," she said.

The issues to be discussed include how to balance science and politics, Non Communicable Diseases prevention, Neglected Tropical Diseases, cancers, tobacco and the relation between humans, the environment and diseases that are transferable from livestock like Swine Flu.

This year's theme is 'public health in the post 2015 era and the changing role of national public health institutes'. The International Association of National Public Health Institutes - IANPHI - is a global initiative that aims to develop stronger and more coordinated public health systems through the development and support of national public health institutes - or NPHIs.

IANPHI is also a professional association for NPHI directors, providing a platform for advocacy and collective action in addressing public health challenges and opportunities. Enditem