Kase: Be free of tobacco use

 TOBACCO use was responsible for the loss of many lives and 80% of non communicable diseases, Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said yesterday in commemorating World No Tobacco Day.

The theme for this year was ‘Ban advertising, promotion and sponsorship’. 

“Are you being manipulated by the tobacco industry into accepting sponsorship or misled by its advertisement and promotion? If you are; free yourself-tobacco kills,” Kase said in a statement.

“Tobacco related diseases and deaths are a worldwide epidemic and are responsible for almost all cancers including lung cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, asthma, brain stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes and low birth weight of new born babies.”

Kase said PNG was among developing and low income countries that experienced deaths as a result of tobacco related diseases. Globally, six million people died each year from those diseases. 

He said about 50% died prematurely at the age of 30 and 69 which were the productive age group and that led to a loss in productivity which could affect the socio-economic development thus leading to poverty.

The health secretary quoted figures from an unpublished data from a survey in PNG which showed that 44% of adults smoked cigarettes, males had the highest rate of 60% and on average had about three cigarettes per day. 

“The global youth tobacco survey in 2007 for ages 13 to 15 indicated that 47.7% of these age group use tobacco products (55.4% boys and 40.3% girls),” he said.

“Another study on smoking prevalence conducted in NCD and Manus showed children started smoking at a very young age of eight years old-these are underage smoking.”

Kase warned that children who started smoking at that age were likely to face one or more of the tobacco related health problems in the next 10 to 15 years if not stopped. 

He added that PNG has the highest tobacco consumption rate in the Pacific-the highest in both youth and adults.