In wake of 2015 GYTS findings…PAHO-spearheaded research to determine why youths use tobacco

Aug 18, 2017 News

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Because it always favours evidence over speculation, the local office of the Pan American Health Organisation [PAHO] will be spearheading research to determine why youths within the school system use tobacco. This development

comes on the heels of the recent release of the 2015 round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey [GYTS].
PAHO Consultant on the GYTS, Dr. Morris Edwards, had emphasised the need to ascertain why youths use tobacco, given the daunting data which the GYTS yielded.
The GYTS data suggest that more than half of the 1,697 students, between the ages of 13 and 15 – who represented the survey sample – were current users of tobacco.
Taking the reins of the research to find out what are the root causes for youth tobacco use is PAHO’s Specialist for Chronic Diseases and Family Health, Ms. Karen Roberts. Roberts, who doubles as the PAHO’s Tobacco Control Focal Point, made it clear that such a move is warranted since “PAHO likes to do things based on evidence. We are going to have to do some additional research to find out reasons why our young people use tobacco”.
She pointed out, during an interview with this publication, that while there are many theories that have been proven in some countries, “we have our own theories as to what are the reasons that have contributed to young people using tobacco in Guyana.”
Roberts however noted, “we still are going to do the necessary research, so that we can say definitely that it is because they are exposed to it at a young age; they see smoking in the home or it’s the in-thing or peer pressure. We want to be able to prove those things for Guyana,” asserted Roberts.
“So those are some of the areas we will need to add to our research agenda where tobacco prevention and control is concerned,” said the Chronic Diseases Specialist, who also revealed that since there are some known common reasons for youths’ inclination to use tobacco, PAHO will be working towards putting in place intervening measures.
The move in this latter regard will be considerably supported once the recently passed Tobacco Control Bill is assented to by President David Granger.
According to Roberts, “The good thing about the tobacco legislation is that it encompasses things like advertising, promotions, sponsorship, labelling and packaging, meaning that there are going to be warnings against young people’s use…”
PAHO, according to Roberts, will be working in close collaboration with the Ministries of Public Health and Education to achieve its planned agenda. Roberts pointed out that full advantage will be taken of the Ministry of Education’s Health and Family Life Education [HFLE]’s curriculum.
The HFLE programme, Roberts observed, already addresses issues such as tobacco use among youths. As such she noted that the efforts that will be fast-tracked by PAHO will include strengthening of such programmes even as deliberate moves are simultaneously made to uncover hardcore evidence.
But it is anticipated that support will not only be forthcoming from the Government ministries but also other stakeholders as well. For instance, Roberts anticipates some level of support from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards [GNBS] which has been helping to develop standards for advertising, promotion and sponsorship as it relates to tobacco products for CARICOM territories.
“Even though we [Guyana] have gone ahead where we have a tobacco law and as a result we don’t necessarily need the standards, even though it is going to guide regulations, we are still going to work with other countries to ensure that they develop the CARICOM standards so that that can work for them in the absence of comprehensive legislation,” said Roberts.
Speaking of the GYTS data Wednesday, PAHO/WHO Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, described it as “scary.” He considered that “30.1 percent of our youths between the age of 13 and 15 have used tobacco before; 14.8 percent are current users…I mean it is that scary”.
“Even about 17 percent feel that they are susceptible to the effects of tobacco. They probably think it [addiction] cannot happen to us, because I am in the company of my friends who smoke for a short while, but they don’t think about the repercussion,” Dr. Adu-Krow observed.
He also highlighted that the GYTS found that there were 28 percent of students who thought smoking made them feel more comfortable at gatherings with their friends. Even as he pondered over the fact that “28 percent wouldn’t have smoked but they think I will blend-in with the crowd because it makes me feel more comfortable, I think that is scary.”
But based on the findings, 58 percent of youths were fully aware that smoking of others could be harmful to them. According to Dr. Adu-Krow, “If six out of 10 don’t want people to smoke in their presence why don’t they say stop that? And those who want to smoke let them go ahead and smoke alone.”
The GYTS also revealed that 56 percent of the students favoured banning of smoking and, according to Dr. Adu-Krow, “I think we owe it to ourselves and we owe it to future generations to have the [Tobacco Control] Bill turned into law.”
Even as the GYTS is closely examined, Roberts disclosed that the Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, which looked at tobacco use among adults between the ages of 18 and 69, will also be released by year end. Once released, the findings of that survey, Roberts noted, will also give a very good picture of what is happening with tobacco use among adults.

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