Tobacco companies set their sights on children in Africa
African Tobacco Control Alliance data show aggressive sales and marketing plans by the industry targeting young people will contribute heavily to growing tobacco use on the continent
Children in Africa have become the latest target of tobacco companies‚ according to recent research by the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA). The survey looked at the way in which tobacco companies in five African countries‚ namely‚ Burkina Faso‚ Cameroon‚ Benin, Uganda and Nigeria function, and the ways in which they get consumers to keep using their product. ATCA released its report in Johannesburg on Wednesday. It found that tobacco use causes about six-million deaths every year‚ with nearly 80% of them occurring in low-and middle-income countries. Findings also show that in Africa‚ smoking prevalence is estimated to be 21% among adult males and 3% among adult females. An estimated 21% of young boys and 13% of young girls were found to be using some kind of tobacco products. "The aggressive sale and marketing strategies of the tobacco industry targeting young people will be among the key contributing factors to the growing epidemic of tobacco use in Africa‚" said the report...
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