Home | Strategies for Reducing Tobacco–Related Health Burden | Challenges of Tobacco Control in Africa
By: Foluke Akinwalere. Freelance Health Writer. Medical review and editorial support provided by the DLHA Team
Smoker. Image credit from Freepik
Tobacco use, whether smoking cigarettes, pipe, cigars, chewing tobacco, snuffing, etc, continues to be a significant public health challenge across Africa. This contributes to a rising burden of non-communicable diseases, including lung cancer, heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, and chronic respiratory conditions (like emphysema and chronic bronchitis), among many others.
With tobacco consumption rates increasing in many Sub-Sahara African (SSA) nations, the health and economic impacts are becoming more noticeable. As the continent faces these growing challenges, the urgency of addressing tobacco use as a critical threat to public health cannot be overstated.
Efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of tobacco consumption are crucial not only to improve overall health outcomes but also to alleviate the strain on healthcare systems which are already under pressure from infectious diseases.
This article delves into the economic and health consequences of tobacco use in African nations and presents potential solutions that governments and other stakeholders in health can implement to alleviate the impact.
A holistic approach, encompassing public health initiatives, enhanced regulations, and the promotion of alternative sources of income, is crucial in reducing the health risks associated with tobacco use in Africa.
Additionally, the article sheds light on the obstacles faced in implementing tobacco control measures in Africa and other regions. Read on!
Current tobacco use has been defined based on three survey questions that were the same across all surveys, though response options for tobacco products varied, depending on the common habits in each country. [1]
The questions were:
If respondents answered “yes” to questions 1 and/or 2 and indicated the use of any listed tobacco products in question 3, they were classified as current tobacco users. [1]
Tobacco use poses intricate public health, economic, and environmental challenges in Africa that require a comprehensive, cross-sectoral approach to prevention and control.
Tobacco use in Africa is a major public health concern, with varying rates across the continent. Although smoking rates in certain African countries are still lower than the global average, there is a growing trend of tobacco consumption, especially among young individuals and vulnerable groups. This increase can be attributed to the aggressive marketing tactics employed by tobacco companies, inadequate tobacco control measures, and the cultural norms that tolerate smoking in certain societies. [2]
Furthermore, the use of smokeless tobacco, including chewing tobacco and snuff, is common in specific areas, adding to the overall consumption of tobacco. These products are often unregulated and may be seen as less harmful, which contributes to their widespread use.
In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is a significant prevalence of current tobacco use. A study conducted among adults aged 40-60 years in four SSA countries found that, on average, 34.5% of men and 2.1% of women sampled were current smokers. [3] Another study across multiple SSA countries showed that the prevalence of current tobacco use varied from 6.1% in Ghana to 38.6% in Lesotho. [1] This large number of tobacco users results in a significant economic burden both on a national scale and for individual households.
The financial impact of smoking-related diseases is significant in Africa and puts pressure on already scarce healthcare resources. Additionally, tobacco cultivation in certain African nations leads to environmental damage and exploitation of labour.
Tobacco use is linked to various illnesses and is a major risk factor for numerous chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, lung diseases, stroke, and diabetes.
In 2019, tobacco consumption led to around 200 million Disability Adjusted Life Years lost and caused approximately 7.65 million deaths worldwide.
The World Health Organisation reports that tobacco is responsible for over 8 million deaths annually, with 15% of these attributed to secondhand smoke exposure. [2]
Another study indicates that smokers have a reduced healthy life expectancy of 5-10 years compared to non-smokers.
Among preventable risk factors for diseases, tobacco use remains the primary cause of morbidity and mortality on a global scale. [4]
Tobacco use adds to the challenges faced by the fragile health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, aggravating the triple burden of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and the financial constraints already burdening the region’s health systems.
Many countries in SSA allocate insufficient financial resources for healthcare services, with the lowest relative funding compared to other regions globally. The cost of treating tobacco-related diseases, combined with lost productivity due to illness and premature death, create a heavy economic burden.
Tobacco also sustains poverty. In many rural areas, tobacco farming is promoted as an economic activity, but it often yields little benefit to farmers. Tobacco cultivation depletes soil fertility and leads to deforestation, which results in long-term environmental degradation that undermines other agricultural activities and community livelihoods.
Published: October 15, 2024
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