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	Action Health Inc. 17 Lawal Street Jibowu, Lagos Tel. 01 774 3745 Fax. 01 342 5496

2008 World No Tobacco Day

Action Health Incorporated (AHI) on June 2, 2008 joined others around the globe to commemorate the "World No Tobacco Day".

The event, tagged, "Tobacco Free Youth" aimed at educating young people on the health implications of using tobacco; empowering them to become change agents in their communities and the nation as well as motivating the government, policy makers and key stakeholders to take necessary action against the manufacturers of tobacco.

The event featured riddles and jokes, comedy and a lecture which aimed at bringing out the effects of smoking on young people's health and its implication to the economy.

The effects of tobacco on health such as cataracts; wrinkles; hearing loss; hair loss; skin cancer; tooth decay; heart diseases; stomach ulcers; discoloured fingers; uterine cancer and miscarriage; deformed sperm; psoriasis; buerger's disease and lung cancer were highlighted during the programme that attracted young people from various schools around Lagos. The participatory approach adopted during the programme gave an insight into why young people smoke. Some of the reasons include peer pressure, for acceptance, to act like a 'big boy' and to feel high and good.

At the end of the event, young people were unanimous in their call for the government to among others:

Ban all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship to achieve a Tobacco - Free Environment.
Understand that tobacco smoking eventually leads to disability and death.
Totally ban the manufacture and importation of tobacco into the country.

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. According to WHO, it is the second major cause of death in the world, currently responsible for the death of one in ten adults worldwide (about 5 million deaths each year). If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Approximately 1.8 billion young people (aged 10-24) live in our world today with more than 85% found in developing countries. Having survived the vulnerable childhood period, these young people are generally healthy. However, as the tobacco industry intensifies its efforts to hook new, young and potentially life-long tobacco users, their deadly products seriously threaten the health of a significant percentage of the world's youth.