1,000 to 1,200 schoolchildren smoke daily, says report

Smokers from lower socio-economic groups spend 25% of income on cigarettes.

Around 1,000 to 1,200 school-going children from the ages of six to 12 years smoke daily in Pakistan, according to a report.

Published by the Pakistan Pediatrics Association, the report said regular smokers from lower socio-economic groups spend 25 per cent of their total income on purchasing cigarettes.

The report focuses on the anti-smoking social marketing campaign in Pakistan, which aims to spread awareness of the harmful effects of smoking, particularly among the youth.

“To reduce smoking and overcome cancers related to consumption of tobacco products, urgent measures need to be taken by the health authorities,” the report suggested.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, smoking has increased by 30 per cent in Pakistan as compared to 1998 figures.

WHO reported that a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship can decrease consumption of tobacco products by around seven per cent.

In Pakistan, 19 per cent of adults aged 18 and above smoke while approximately 60,000 people die of tobacco-related diseases each year.

Meanwhile, TheNetwork for Consumer Protection Project Coordinator Dr Sobia Faisal said social marketing was an effective strategy to promote healthy attitudes and to convince smokers to voluntarily reject or abandon their habits.

She said it is high time school-going children are educated about the hazards of tobacco. Increased taxes on tobacco products can be an effective tool to help mitigate the menace, she added.

When contacted, a Tobacco Control Cell official said Pakistan had ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and has also implemented pictorial warnings on cigarette packs.

He said that a plan to create awareness among citizens regarding the negative effects of smoking was under consideration and would soon be implemented.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2013.