Troubling nexus between ads and tobacco use among youths

Aug 11, 2017 News

– 2015 Global Youth Tobacco Survey Report reveals

Close to half of the youths who participated in the Global Youth Tobacco Survey [GYTS] in 2015, revealed that they were not prevented from buying cigarettes because of their age. From a sample of 1,697 youths between the ages of 13 and 15, 48.9 percent made this disclosure.
The 2015 survey saw its sample being drawn from 69 classes in 25 public schools, and in fact, represented the fourth round of GYTS conducted by Guyana.
Guyana is one of four countries in the Regions of South America, Latin America and Caribbean to have ever accomplished four rounds.
Surveys in this regard were conducted in 2000, 2004, 2010 and 2015. The surveys were conducted by the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation [PAHO/WHO] and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While there have been some good trends detected during the most recent survey, Dr. Morris Edwards, the PAHO/WHO Consultant for the GYTS 2015 Report, said that there are also some that are very daunting.
Based on the data accumulated through the survey, it was found that 61 percent of the children were able to purchase cigarettes by the pack while nine percent were even able to buy the product by the cartons.
In sharing this daunting state of affairs Dr. Edwards took a jab at the Demerara Tobacco Company [DEMTOCO] which has had issues with aspects of the recently passed Tobacco Control Legislation, which among other things, is intended to bring an end to the sale of tobacco products to minors.
DEMTOCO has claimed that the legislation could in fact serve to reduce its sale and by extension its payment of some $4 billion in taxes.
“So maybe that is where DEMTOCO is getting a lot of its sales from, if you could be selling cartons to children,” said Dr. Edwards, who went on to reveal that almost 12 percent of the students, or one in every nine, was offered a free tobacco product from a tobacco company. In fact, he revealed that boys were more than twice the ones who were targeted.
Added to this, one in every five students were said to be the owners of an item with a tobacco brand.
According to Dr. Edwards, the tactic is, “You give these gifts to the children and that’s an inducement for them to actually consider, wittingly or unwittingly these products….25.6 percent of those who never used tobacco products said that they were likely to own a branded item that had a tobacco logo on it, because of effective marketing that made it look sexy.”
Dr. Edwards said yesterday that more than two-thirds of students assessed, admitted to noticing someone use tobacco on television, videos or movies. Added to this, less than one-third of the students claimed that they noticed tobacco advertisement or promotions at points of sale.

PAHO/WHO Resident Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow [right] hands over the GYTS Report to Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings.

When compared to 2004, the 2015 data revealed that the proportion of students who were able to purchase cigarette from shops more than doubled.
This might very well be linked to the effective marketing. Given the impact of the media to draw attention to tobacco, Dr. Edwards added, “now with new Bill let us see whether these numbers actually will change.” Once enacted, the tobacco legislation will serve to clampdown on the advertising campaigns that have been launched by tobacco companies.
According to the GYTS Report , the use of tobacco products during adolescence and teenaged years has been associated with significant health problems which can be amplified during adulthood.
It was further pointed out that earlier use is also associated with heavier use, as those who begin to use tobacco as younger adolescence are among the heaviest users in adolescence and adulthood. Such users are in fact less likely to quit.
According to PAHO/WHO Resident Representative, Dr. Williams Adu-Krow, who delivered brief remarks at the launch of the GYTS Report, although he was of the opinion that an individual had to be a smoker for a prolonged period in order to become addicted, his perception changed when he came across research in that regard.
The research in question, Dr. Adu-Krow said, revealed that “with children, they get hooked much, much earlier.” This, according to him, means that children who smoke can become addicted soon after engaging in smoking activities.
But according to Dr. Adu-Krow, if children are exposed to enough information, they are more likely to begin to see themselves as susceptible and take precautionary action. Such a tactic is important to employ ahead of the point of addiction, since according to the PAHO/WHO Representative, “if you are addicted to something, irrespective of how severe you perceive it to be, irrespective of how susceptible you perceive yourself to be, you are powerless to taking action.”