Smoking in Nigeria
There has been a downwards trend in current smoking prevalence in the general population in Nigeria. In 2000 the overall prevalence was estimated to be around 7.5%; this decreased to 6% by 2015, with a projection to decrease further to 5% by 2025. Men's smoking decreased from 13% to 11% between 2000 and 2015, and is projected to decrease further to 10% by 2025 according to WHO trend data. Women's smoking prevalence during the same period remained low, at 2% in 2000 down to 1% in 2015, and is projected to reduce further to under 1% by 2025. The WHO published prevalence trend estimates in tobacco smoking, as shown here, in their 2018 2nd edition report, which show slightly different smoking prevalence to the WHO country profiles. Data for the estimates are not age standardised, and were obtained from WHO databases. The trend lines are projections, not predictions, of future attainment. A projection indicates a likely endpoint if the country maintains its tobacco control efforts at the same level that it has implemented them to date. Therefore the impact of recent interventions could alter the expected endpoint shown in the projection. While the methods of estimation used in the first and second editions of the WHO report are the same, the volume of data available for the second edition is larger i.e. 200 more national surveys. The results presented are therefore more robust.
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August 27, 2024 by businessday.ng
The Truth About Vaping: Separating Fact from Fiction
Vaping is not a perfect solution, but it is a safer alternative to smoking. By vaporising a liquid solution containing pharmaceutical-grade nicotine instead of burning tobacco, it eliminates the harmful combustion by-products released by burning tobacco that cause the majority of smoking-related diseases. The Royal College of Physicians estimates that vaping is likely to be much safer than smoking, with some studies suggesting it may be at least 95 percent safer.
August 16, 2024 by businessday.ng
A consumer-friendly harm reduction approach works better than one-size-fits-all policies
Sweden's successful harm reduction model, including the use of Snus and other nicotine alternatives, has significantly reduced smoking rates and associated health risks. Nigeria can learn from Sweden by increasing accessibility, acceptability, and affordability of harm reduction products to tackle its high smoking rates. With nearly 30,000 smoking-related deaths in 2022 and 4.5 million current smokers, Nigeria faces a pressing public health challenge. Emulating Sweden's approach could lead to improved outcomes and a smoke-free future. The Swedish model's success underscores the need for diverse cessation options, public awareness campaigns, and reduced taxes on safer nicotine products.
July 25, 2024 by thecable.ng
Harnessing Tobacco Harm Reduction: Lessons from Sweden and Japan for A Healthier Nigeria
In the early 2000s, Sweden had and adopted the concepts and ideals behind Tobacco Harm Reduction when it introduced Snus, a smokeless tobacco product that has since become a national phenomenon. Snus is placed under the upper lip and does not require smoking. Its popularity in Sweden has contributed to a significant public health triumph. Today, over 20% of Swedish men (…)
October 25, 2023 by vanguardngr.com
Adopt harm reduction approaches in public healthcare, Nigeria, others told
Stakeholders across Africa have called on the Nigerian government and other governments across Africa, to adopt harm reduction approaches and to integrate harm reduction principles and practices when regulating public health challenges. Harm reduction refers to interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of health behaviours without necessarily extinguishing the problematic health behaviours entirely or permanently. The President of the African Medical Association and the Association of Medical Councils of Africa, Dr. Kgosi Letlape, described harm reduction as a more transformative strategy than prohibition-based policies.
January 17, 2023 by sunnewsonline.com
Why tobacco consumption cannot be banned in Nigeria
There have been repeated campaigns, warning and awareness programmes by health experts, advocacy groups, non-governmental organizations and government agencies against tobacco consumption due to its adverse health effects. Despite all these, millions of smokers in Nigeria have refused to yield to the warning, while tobacco companies and distributors still smile to the bank with huge profits from the tobacco trade.
With over 20 billion sticks of cigarettes consumed annually in Nigeria, many smokers pay with their health, as reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other resource centres indicate that millions of smokers die annually in Nigeria from tobacco-related ailments.jan
December 09, 2020 by theconversation.com
Why some young Nigerians are using cannabis as a normal part of life
Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria. Its production, distribution and use are criminalised by local laws. Cultivated mostly in southern Nigeria, the drug is affordable and readily available through street drug-running. Cannabis users are also widely seen as social deviants, and are liable to arrest and imprisonment.
Despite the stigma and danger from the law, the use of cannabis in Nigeria is growing fast. Studies show that it ranks just below alcohol as the second most used psychoactive substance in Nigeria. It is mostly used by people aged 25-39 years.
March 31, 2020 by filtermag.org
Nigeria Is Crying Out for Vapes That Smokers Can Afford
To state the obvious, smoking kills. Tobacco smoking is the world’s leading preventable cause of premature death. Here in Nigeria, there are at least 11 million smokers, and despite declining prevalence, a fast-growing population means that the actual number of smokers is on the rise. This is especially true of young adults, connected in part to our growing nightlife culture. E-cigarettes were found by the UK’s Royal College of Physicians to be at least 95 percent less harmful than combustible tobacco, [...] But very few smokers in Nigeria are benefiting from this alternative.
June 05, 2018 by telegraph.co.uk
'Sin tax' looms on tobacco and alcohol in Nigeria as fears grow of a public health crisis
Nigeria’s government defied private-sector opposition to impose a new “sin tax” on Monday amid fears that growing tobacco and alcohol consumption could threaten a public health crisis.
Ignoring a last-minute legal challenge, the country’s finance ministry announced that a rise in excise duties had finally come into force, three months after Muhammadu Buhari, the president, was forced by public opposition to delay the hike.