Focus: say no to tobacco

This day, May 31 is the World No Tobacco Day. It’s the day we celebrate worldwide how far we’ve gone in our quest to reduce the consumption of tobacco. It’s celebrated around the world to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. Tobacco use leads most commonly to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, and cancer. Apart from diseases, there is an indirect public health problem posed by smoking tobacco in accidental fires. This is usually linked with the consumption of alcohol by smokers who carry lit cigarettes to their bedrooms. It is 22 years since this crusade kicked off, and a lot has been achieved though it is not yet where it should be; reducing the 5.4 million yearly deaths from tobacco related health problems. Apart from the ‘No Smoking’ signs around major public places like restaurants and bars, tobacco advertising and sponsorship have been banned. Today, no event is sponsored by tobacco companies like the old times when major events like the Formula One were sponsored by major tobacco entities like Marlboro. Again all forms of media such as the internet, print media, and radio have ceased from any advertising or promotion. This is how far the fight against the dangers of smoking has travelled. In Rwanda, a lot has been done to decrease the rate of tobacco consumption. There are no advertisements and sponsorships by tobacco companies whatsoever. Tobacco consumption in public places is prohibited and carries a fine of Rwf 100,000. Our Government has also introduced excise taxes on cigarettes which drastically led to a decrease in the amount of tobacco consumption in the country. Of course these are the same taxes that are used to cater for patients suffering from tobacco related health problems. Internationally, substantial scientific evidence shows that higher cigarette prices result in lower overall cigarette consumption. Most studies indicate that a 10% increase in price will reduce overall cigarette consumption by 3% to 5%. Youth, minorities, and low-income smokers are two to three times more likely to quit or smoke less than other smokers in response to price increase. However, cigarettes are economically classified in inelastic goods, where a large rise in price will only create a small decrease in consumption. According to sources, in the year 2000, smoking was practiced by 1.22 billion people. Assuming there has been no change in prevalence it is predicted that 1.45 billion people will smoke in 2010 and 1.5 to 1.9 billion in 2025. Assuming that prevalence will decrease at 1% a year and that there will be a modest increase of income of 2%, it is predicted the number of smokers will stand at 1.3 billion in 2010 and 2025. Because they are engaging in an activity that has negative effects on health, people who smoke tend to rationalize their behavior. In other words, they develop convincing, if not necessarily logical reasons why smoking is acceptable. For example, a smoker could justify his or her behavior by concluding that everyone dies and so cigarettes do not actually change anything. At the university, most of my friends with this habit of smoking tobacco believe that smoking relieves stress or has other benefits that justify its risks. These types of beliefs it has been scientifically proven, prevent anxiety and keep people smoking. I have heard of other people, who blame it (smoking) on the weather. The reasons given by smokers for this activity are broadly categorized as addictive smoking, pleasure from smoking, tension reduction/relaxation, social smoking, stimulation, habit/automatism, and handling. Some smokers have the excuse that they’ve tried quitting the habit, failed and given up trying again. However, methods like nicotine replacement therapy, antidepressants, and hypnosis, self-help, and support groups could be your safest route out of this dangerous smoking world. bryok14@yahoo.com