News

Children in poor areas most likely to take up smoking - report

Children in low-income areas are the most likely to start smoking, according to a report released by the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA).

According to Emma Wanyonyi, the chief executive of IILA, the sale of single sticks of cigarettes is a big factor in the rising number of children getting hooked on tobacco.

The report on the sale of single sticks of cigarettes, conducted in 10 African capital cities, indicates that 64 per cent of cigarettes sold in Nairobi are in single sticks.

READ: Strict tobacco rules blight BAT outlook

ALSO READ: E-cigarettes with nicotine linked to heart attacks

Against the law

The report notes that this is against the law and the majority of those buying are the youth and low income earners.

The study was conducted around the designated smoking zones in the city centre, Kibera, Mathare, Kawangware, Buruburu, Kileleshwa and Karen.

The low-income areas, it was observed, are notorious for selling cigarettes as single sticks.

"We found out that children who help their parents sell these products are actually exposed to cigarettes and they can get curious and then experiment with them," Ms Wanyonyi said during the launch of the report in Nairobi on Thursday morning.

Not less than 10 pieces

She said most retailers were ignorant of the law citing Section 18 of the Tobacco Control Act of 2007, which states that sale of cigarettes will only be done as a pack of not less than 10 pieces.

She also said tobacco companies are interfering with the law, such that they actually continue to advertise their products and encourage the sale of single pieces of cigarettes.

She also found that many smoking zones in town, for example at the Bus Station in downtown Nairobi, are located near schools.

Vendors in the area, who sell sweets and snacks also sell the cigarettes, making it easier for schoolchildren to access them.

Affordable

Ms Wanyonyi said that the practice is making cigarettes affordable and accessible to children, who are increasingly getting into the habit before they get into adulthood.

According to a research conducted by the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa, almost 10 per cent of Kenyan youth aged between 13 and 15 years are already using tobacco.

Ms Wanyonyi urged the government to strengthen the enforcement of the law to make it harder for minors to have access to the harmful products.

READ: When your teen is taking drugs

ALSO READ: Smoking kills 31,000 Kenyans each year, says WHO