According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use causes over 8 million deaths annually including 1.3 million due to second-hand exposure. Furthermore, data from the Tobacco Atlas show that the tobacco industry continues to target new markets in the WHO African region, one of two regions where absolute numbers of smokers continue to increase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTobacco farming has emerged as an important concern for tobacco control advocates. Tobacco-growing countries face unique and important challenges to comprehensive, intersectoral tobacco control. These challenges stem from narratives that position tobacco as an important driver of economic growth and development, perpetuated by tobacco interests with close ties to government decision-making.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYearly, tobacco use kills about 8 million people globally, 80% of whom live in low/middle-income countries. Given sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) rapidly increasing and youthful population, growing incomes and the increased presence of the tobacco industry, the number of tobacco users is growing. The region is predicted to face a heavier burden of tobacco-related diseases and deaths in the future.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
March 2020
Tobacco is a key cash crop for many farmers in Kenya, although there is a variety of challenges associated with tobacco production. This study seeks to understand alternatives to tobacco production from the perspective of government officials, extension officers, and farmers at the sub-national level (Migori, Busia, and Meru) in Kenya. The study analyzes data from qualitative key-informant interviews with government officials and extension officers ( = 9) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with farmers ( = 5).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Tobacco production continues to increase in low- and middle-income countries creating complications for tobacco control efforts. There is the need to understand and address the global tobacco leaf supply as a means of decreasing tobacco consumption and improving farmers livelihoods in line with Article 17 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This study aims to understand the reasons why farmers grow tobacco and identify factors that influence these reasons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNicotine Tob Res
November 2019
Introduction: The narrative of prosperous economic livelihood of tobacco farmers in Kenya as alleged by the tobacco industry deserves challenge as evidence increasingly suggests that smallholder tobacco farmers are making little or no profits. Article 17 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control encourages viable alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers. There is little evidence, however, on how tobacco farmers make livelihood choice decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Every year, more than 6,000 Kenyans die of tobacco related diseases (79 men and 37 women die per week), while more than 220,000 children and more than 2,737,000 adults continue to use tobacco each day. Some suggest that these numbers will rise without concerted efforts to strengthen the implementation of tobacco control measures. To date, there remains much to be learned about what contributes to tobacco consumption in Kenya.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The tobacco industry has used the alleged negative impacts on economic livelihoods for tobacco farmers as a narrative to oppose tobacco control measures in low/middle-income countries. However, rigorous empirical evidence to support or refute this claim remains scarce. Accordingly, we assess how much money households earn from selling tobacco, and the costs they incur to produce the crop, including labour inputs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTobacco control norms have gained momentum over the past decade. To date 43 of 47 Sub-Saharan African countries are party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The near universal adoption of the FCTC illustrates the increasing strength of these norms, although the level of commitment to implement the provisions varies widely.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The preservation of the economic livelihood of tobacco farmers is a common argument used to oppose tobacco control measures. However, little empirical evidence exists about these livelihoods. We seek to evaluate the economic livelihoods of individual tobacco farmers in Malawi, including how much money they earn from selling tobacco, and the costs they incur to produce the crop, including labour inputs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth Policy Plan
December 2016
Introduction: This research examines the institutional dynamics of tobacco control following the establishment of Kenya's 2007 landmark tobacco control legislation. Our analysis focuses specifically on coordination challenges within the health sector.
Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 17) involved in tobacco regulation and control in Kenya.