Zambia: Tobacco Use Harming Economies

Source from:  Zambia Daily Mail 12/17/2015

Lusaka CHIEF principal investigator for International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITCPEP) at the University of Waterloo in Canada Professor Geoffrey Fong says unless strong action is taken against tobacco use, countries are likely to face devastation in their development agendas.

Prof Fong described the use of tobacco as a growing global threat to many economies.

He said this recently at the launch of the international tobacco control (ICT) survey and Zambia Wave two national report dissemination meeting in Lusaka.

"As researchers of the ITC project we are interested in finding out the impact of tobacco use in individual countries. Tobacco use is growing in Africa; currently estimates are at 15.8 percent. Projections by 2030 will increase to 21.9 percent that is if nothing is done," Prof Fong said.

He said there is urgent need for countries in Africa to implement strongest Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) policies in order to change the existing scenario.

Prof Fong said "In fact the projection of the ITC study is that tobacco use could not only stay, but could actually decrease to 11.3 percent by 2030 instead of having it to increase to 21.9 percent by the same period".

He said with strong FCTC implementation, the prevalence of tobacco use is projected to decrease in the African region to 11.3 percent.

"So Africa and Zambia in particular is at cross-roads, what destiny and what fate awaits the people on the continent? It is extremely dependant on what action is taken today to prevent the increase from occurring," the Prof said.

And Centre for Primary Care Research director and UNZA School of Medicine and principal investigator of ITC project in Zambia　Dr Fastone Goma　said ITC cross-country comparisons indicate that 40 percent of male smokers in Zambia who have a regular brand smoke menthol cigarettes, the highest percentage among 19 ITC countries. Enditem