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from Epidemiological Bulletin, Vol. 23 No. 2, June 2002

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey: Results in the Americas

Introduction
The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) was developed by the Tobacco Free Initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Pan American Health Organization has assisted in the surveys application in Latin America and the English-speaking Caribbean.

The objectives of this survey are to measure the prevalence of tobacco use, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, knowledge and attitudes, and factors that make youth susceptible to tobacco use. During 1999, 2000, and 2001, information was gathered from 23 countries within the Americas (12 from the Caribbean, 10 from Latin America, and the United States). In some of these countries, data were obtained from different geographical aggregation levels, which explains why the following analysis is based on results from 33 areas.

The methodology used for the survey is presented in the following web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/global/gyts/GYTS_intro.htm, and may also be found in the Epidemiological Bulletin 2001;22(2):12-14. A description of the current state of execution may be consulted in the following web page: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/global/gyts/GYTS_factsheets.htm. Some results of the survey in the Region of the Americas are presented below.

In some countries, 40% of adolescents smoke
Nearly 40% of the young people surveyed smoke regularly in Chile, which is the country with the highest prevalence of smoking among adolescents 13 to 15 years old. In 19 of the 33 areas surveyed, more than 20% of adolescents currently smoke, too high a proportion for an age group (13-15 years) at which tobacco consumption barely starts. After the Southern Cone, the Andean Area presents the second highest smoking prevalence, followed by the United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Latin Caribbean and the English-speaking Caribbean (Table 1).

Adolescents who do not currently smoke but who say they will probably initiate tobacco consumption shortly should be added to those who currently smoke. In some areas of the Andean Area and the Southern Cone, at least one fourth of young non smokers intends to start smoking soon, while in the Caribbean a little more than one tenth of young people intends to follow the steps of their Latin American counterparts. In the majority of the areas surveyed (20 out of 31 with information available), at least 1 out of 6 adolescents who currently do not smoke said they intend to start some time during the following year. Both current smokers and those who intend to begin smoking soon could become experimental smokers who will quit smoking once they pass adolescence. However, the data on those who attempt to quit smoking are not very encouraging.

 

WHAT B.A .TOBACCO AND PHILLIPS MORRIS BELIEVES?

TOBACCO USE IN PERU

British American Tobacco strongly believes children should not smoke, and smoking should only be for adults who understand the risks associated with it. Our Group companies support and run programmes worldwide tackling underage smoking, and we are committed to pooling our resources and experience globally with others in the tobacco industry and with governments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to help prevent youth smoking.

Along with the other two largest international tobacco groups - Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International - our Group companies have funded and supported more than 130 Youth Smoking Prevention (YSP) programmes in more than 70 countries. We are committed to working with other members of the tobacco industry, pooling our resources and experience, to bring successful outcomes.

We view youth smoking as a critical issue in todays society, and we want to help ensure that only informed adults smoke.We fully support laws and regulations on a minimum age for buying tobacco products, and penalties for retailers who break the law. Our company policy worldwide is not to market to anyone under 18 years old - or older, if the law in a particular country sets the age higher.

To help ensure that only informed adults smoke, we are committed to programmes throughout the world to tackle the issue, with the emphasis on education and access.

Some people are critical of the involvement of tobacco companies in efforts against youth smoking. Yet, in many countries where no other organisations are able or prepared to support such initiatives, tobacco company YSP programmes are often the only such programmes in the country.

We acknowledge that our involvement in YSP activity is a concern for some stakeholders and we accept we should refrain from some types of activity in countries where local stakeholders strongly believe we should not be involved.  Wherever our YSP activities are generally supported, we are committed to continuing with them.

Our approach
There is no right way to develop a YSP programme, and no one programme will fit all countries. Our prevention programmes are increasingly based on research into current attitudes as well as building on existing experience. Over time, this enables us to identify the most effective aspects of programmes, as well as any weaknesses, which in turn helps us develop best practice.

We see YSP programmes as having two primary objectives: preventing children from obtaining tobacco products and discouraging children from wanting to smoke. To this end, we believe in a number of core approaches:

Education These programmes focus on helping educators and parents to teach children to exercise responsibility and independence and to resist negative peer pressure, including resisting pressure to smoke. Programmes are developed to involve parents, educators and governments.

Retail access prevention Access programmes focus on restricting the sale of tobacco products to minors at the point of sale. They include proof-of-age schemes and teaching retailers about relevant laws and ways of preventing sales to minors.

Advertising campaigns Advertising can play a vital role in communicating that youth shouldnt smoke. Advertising can target young people directly or support other programmes by targeting retailers, teachers or parents.

Youth smoking is a complex issue for society to address, with no simple solution. However, by harnessing the expertise and understanding of all interested parties including government, retailers, parents, teachers and young people themselves we hope to ensure that YSP programmes are accepted and successful.

http://www.bat.com/oneweb/sites/uk__3mnfen.nsf/0/00ee816257c9acd480256bf4000331d7?OpenDocument

Philip Morris USA

As the manufacturer of a product intended for adults who smoke, that has serious health effects and is addictive, Philip Morris USA  have a responsibility to help prevent kids from smoking. We take that responsibility seriously and, as a company, work towards it through comprehensive actions, including:

  • Responsible marketing to adult smokers, including managing our business within the letter and the spirit of the Master Settlement Agreement, which fundamentally changed the way tobacco products are marketed and sold.
  • Sales and merchandising programs to promote responsible retailing.
  • Engagement with policy makers and proactive support of legislation to help prevent youth smoking.

In addition to our business policies and practices to help prevent youth smoking, Philip Morris USA created a Youth Smoking Prevention (YSP) department in early 1998 to broaden our efforts and increase our engagement in youth smoking prevention. With a dedicated staff and an annual budget of over $100 million, YSP proactively contributes to youth smoking prevention and positive youth development programs by working with others who share our goal. We focus the activities of our department in four areas:

  • Communications and education for parents and other adult influencers to help and encourage them to talk to kids about not smoking.
  • Grants to support youth smoking prevention and positive youth development programs.
  • Access Prevention programs to help prevent youth access to cigarettes.
  • Research to help us understand the latest developments in youth smoking prevention and what programs and communications may work best to help prevent youth smoking.

Youth smoking prevention is a long-term commitment for Philip Morris USA. We will continue to support initiatives in collaboration with others who share our goal to help prevent youth smoking and contribute to the decline in youth smoking rates while promoting positive youth development

 
 
EFFORT TO REDUCE TOBACCO USE IN PERU
 
Providing support, information and materials to organizations dedicated to keeping kids tobacco free.

Supplying individuals with the information they need to take action against tobacco.

Executing education and media campaigns and events that expose about the health hazards of tobacco products.

Researching and analyzing youth tobacco use and tobacco industry practices.

Serving as a resource for the media and policymakers.

Organizing international programs with organizations and activists in other countries to promote tobacco-free lives worldwide.

 

July 2001 "Save Our Building" Family Barbecue
Barbecue picture, 240 pixels wide
Everybody had a blast at the barbecue -- the food was good, the fun was great, and we raised over $800 for the restoration fund.

TOBACCO FACTS IN PERU

tobacco use among children and teens has reached epidemic proportions. Every day, more than 200 kids in Peru become regular smokers; one-third of them will die prematurely from lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other tobacco-caused diseases. And that does not include the kids who become addicted to spit (smokeless) tobacco. Currently, an estimated 400 thousand kids between the ages of 12 and 17 are smokers. In the past decade, the number of kids under 18 who became daily smokers each year has increased by more than 70 percent. The long-term consequences are clear: well over 15,000 peruvians die annually from smoking, and secondhand smoke. Almost 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before age 18.

This fund raiser will be held in the Methodist Church basement at 47 Main Street. Bring lots of spending money!

We hope to update this page often with new photos.

To sign up or volunteer for an event, see our "Contact Us" page.