Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS , 27th Sept. World Health agency on Tuesday warned that young people are “relentlessly” targeted with tobacco and nicotine products, and it called to ban smoking and vaping “whether sitting in class, playing games outside or waiting at the school bus stop”.
According to the WHO the tobacco industry’s approach has resulted in increased use of e-cigarettes, with nine out of 10 smokers starting before the age of 18 – and some as early as 11.
WHO said in a press release that “Considering that children spend nearly one-third of their waking hours in school, and much of the peer pressure they encounter occurs within these educational environments, schools play a pivotal role,”.
It said schools are in “a uniquely powerful position to play a major role in reducing the serious problem of smoking and other tobacco and nicotine use by kids”.
WHO reported that there has been a rise in novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products including electronic cigarettes, although smoking has continued to decline among European teens,.
The agency pointed out that these products have been made more affordable for young people owing to the sale of single-use cigarettes and e-cigarettes, which also typically lack health warnings.
Dr Hans Henri Kluge, Regional Director for WHO European Region said “If we don’t take urgent action now, we risk seeing the next generation of tobacco and nicotine users recruited through tobacco industries’ unethical practices”.
WHO released two new publications coincide with the return to school of children in many countries of the global north: “Freedom from tobacco and nicotine: guide for schools,” and the “Nicotine and Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit”.
The launch coincided with a warning by regulators in the United States that companies must stop selling illegal e-cigarettes that appeal to youth by resembling school supplies, cartoon characters, and even teddy bears.
Dr Ruediger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion said “Whether sitting in class, playing games outside or waiting at the school bus stop, we must protect young people from deadly second-hand smoke and toxic e-cigarette emissions as well as ads promoting these products,”.
“It is deeply concerning that the tobacco industry is still targeting young people and makes vast profits, harming their health”, he added
WHO reiterated that schools must be safe spaces for young people where they are free from exposure to or pressure to use nicotine products.
It added that creating a smoke- and nicotine-free environment in school settings is fundamental to help prevent young people from starting smoking”.
WHO guides highlighted countries that have successfully implemented policies in support of tobacco and nicotine-free campuses- are India, Indonesia, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.
The agency emphasized a “whole-of-school” approach to creating nicotine and tobacco-free campuses. Input is needed from teachers, staff, students and parents.
WHO documents include information on how to support students wanting to quit, education campaigns, implementing policies and how to enforce them.
Advice to educators and policymakers includes:
Banning nicotine and tobacco products on school campuses
Prohibiting the sale of products near schools
Banning direct and indirect ads and promotion of nicotine and tobacco products near classrooms
Refusing sponsorship or engagement with tobacco and nicotine industries for school projects.
WHO medical officer Dr Kerstin Schotte warned that tobacco kills “eight million people every year, or one person every four seconds”.
Some 1.3 million people who die from tobacco smoke don’t even use the product themselves but breathe in second-hand smoke, WHO stated.
Dr Schotte noted that “half of the world’s children breathe tobacco polluted air and as a consequence, 51,000 children die every year due to exposure to tobacco smoke”.
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