Protecting children from tobacco industry interference  

Friday May thirty-first is recognized globally as World No Tobacco Day. The day is observed annually to inform the public on the dangers of tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies and what the relevant authorities are doing to combat tobacco use. This year the Ministry of Health and Wellness organized a national tobacco control forum under the theme “protecting children from tobacco industry interference”. News Five’s Paul Lopez was at the forum. He filed the following report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Tabacco use is becoming increasingly popular among a much younger population in Belize.

 

Dr. Karen Bell, PAHO Belize Representative

“Youth thirteen to fifteen years of age, in Belize the prevalence of smoking is about thirteen percent but in the region of the Americas it is only about nine percent.”

 

That is at least a couple thousand children between the ages of thirteen and fifteen using tobacco.

 

 

Dr. Karen Bell

“It is alarming and when we look at the use of cigarettes, smoking cigarettes is about seven point eight percent of the youths thirteen to cigarettes.”

 

We met Doctor Karen Bell, the PAHO Representative in Belize, at a World No Tobago Day Forum organized by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The forum is particularly geared towards empowering youths to encourage the government to protect their health. One way is through the implementation of higher taxation on tobacco products.

 

Dr. Karen Bell

“Higher custom duties on the Tobago products. Higher taxes on the sale of Tobago products and this has been proven to decrease the demand for these Tobago products.”

 

There have been countless no tobacco smoking campaigns over the years targeted at the youth population. These campaigns often seek to bring awareness to the long list of health risks associated with tobacco use. But they are going up against a billion-dollar global industry. According to Doctor Mellisa Diaz Musa, a Tobacco Control Bill has been drafted for Belize.

 

Dr. Mellisa Diaz Musa, Director, Public Health and Wellness

“The bill is a really strong bill. It helps garner and change behavior. It helps to identify the issues, especially the health issues with Tobago control and once approved it will be circulated countrywide. Smoking contributes significantly to ill health. It contributes to chronic respiratory illnesses, emphysema, chronic obstructive disease, strokes, heart disease and of course lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses.”

 

 

 

The National Drug Abuse and Control Council is now placing greater emphasis on new and emerging tobacco products. Esner Vellos is the Director of the council.

 

Esner Vellos, Director, N.D.A.C.C.

“Those new and emerging products are e-cigarettes, hookas, heated tobacco products that are produced in a way that would be more synthetically produced but at the same time they do have nicotine in their products and that is what makes them as equally as harmful as traditional tobacco products. What we at the N.D.A.C.C. tell the younger population is that while the industry may advertise this as cool and they may be cool at the beginning but in the longer run the health impact that product may have in your health system will be much higher.”

 

 

And the first negative effects of smoking tobacco may be realized the first time the individual smokes tobacco. According to Vellos, that immediate heart burning sensation is an alarm signal set off by the body. He notes that it is all downhill from there with continuous tobacco use.

 

Esner Vellos

“And as the time progresses, that smoke will also be filling up your lungs. Over the course of the years that filled up longs will develop tar and that tar is what leads to medical health effects that tobacco has on the individual. So, in a given timeline in less fifteen years you will underground with tobacco consumption.”

 

 

 

N.D.A.C.C. data shows that while there has been a decrease in the use of traditional tobacco products, there has been an increase in the use of new and emerging products that are just as harmful. Even more concerning to the Ministry of Health and Wellness is data that shows an increase in tobacco use among women.

 

Dr. Mellisa Diaz Musa

“Is there a level of hopelessness that comes with these efforts, because not only do you have tobacco smokers but there is also these new and emerging tobacco sources becoming more popular. I think we look at that as motivation for our team to work harder. Definitely there is hope for us to make a change. Social behavior is very much possible and we know if we start in the school, start earlier we can make a difference when it comes to our non-communicable diseases.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.