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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)

Changes in Tobacco Use Among Youths Aged 13–15 Years—Panama, 2002 and 2008

January 9, 2009 / Vol. 57 / No. 53

MMWR Highlights

Tobacco Use

• From 2002 to 2008, prevalence of current cigarette smoking among students aged 13–15 years in Panama decreased—
  • 60% for boys (14.7% to 5.9%)
  • 75% for girls (11.1% to 2.8%)
  • 67% overall (from 13.2% to 4.3%)
• The level of current cigarette smoking in 2008 did not differ by sex.
• From 2002 to 2008, current use of other tobacco products decreased 41% overall (from 9.8% to 5.8%). In 2008 there was no difference by sex.
• From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of never smokers who were susceptible to initiation of smoking decreased 28% overall (13.8% to 10.0%).

Tobacco Advertising & Promotion

• From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of students who saw pro-tobacco advertisements in newspapers or magazines decreased 16% (from 67.4% to 56.7%).
• The percentage of students who owned an item with a tobacco logo on it decreased 47% from 2002 to 2008 (from 12.0% to 6.4%).
• The percentage of students reporting having been offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative did not change significantly over time (8.1% in 2002, 5.9% in 2008).
• The percentage of students who saw antismoking mass media messages increased 7% from 2002 to 2008 (from 77.3% to 82.5%).
• The percentage of current smokers who wanted to stop smoking did not change over time (65.9% in 2008).
• The percentage of smokers who bought their cigarettes in a store but were not refused purchase because of their age did not change over time (56.6% in 2008).

Secondhand Smoke

• From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of students who reported exposure to secondhand smoke decreased—
  • 32% at home (from 32.0% to 21.9%)
  • 22% in public places (from 51.8% to 40.3%)
  • 58% among students whose best friends smoke (from 14.5% to 6.1%)
• Support among students aged 13–15 years for a ban on smoking in public places increased 12% from 2002 (80.5%) to 2008 (89.9%).
• The percentage of students who were taught in school regarding the dangers of smoking did not change over time (65.8% in 2008).

Background

• The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that reductions in tobacco use most often are the consequence of measures such as—
  • Raising taxes on tobacco
  • Banning advertising promotion and sponsorship
  • Reducing exposure of the population to secondhand smoke
  • Informing the public regarding the dangers of tobacco
  • Establishing tobacco cessation programs
• The Panamanian Ministry of Health has made tobacco control a priority and has established a national tobacco control agency, and many of the results in this report likely resulted from enactment of the 2005 Ministerial decree and Law No.13 in 2008.
  • The Ministerial decree—
    • Required health warnings on all tobacco product packages
    • Banned the sale of individual cigarettes
    • Prohibited use of vending machines for cigarettes
    • Banned pro-tobacco advertising on billboards
  • Law No. 13—
    • Banned pro-tobacco statements on cigarette packages
    • Required complete prohibition of any form of pro-tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship of all kinds in all venues (including sports venues)
    • Prohibited tobacco consumption in all enclosed work environments
    • Required the integration of content on the health consequences of tobacco consumption into the curricula of general education and basic secondary education
    • Included policies and penalties for violations of the law and its regulations
• Tobacco use is one of the major preventable causes of premature death and disease in the world.
  • WHO attributes more than 5 million deaths a year to tobacco use, and this total is expected to exceed 8 million a year by 2030.
  • A disproportionate share of the global tobacco burden falls on developing countries where 84% of the 1.3 billion current smokers live.
• The Global Youth Tobacco Survey, part of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System initiated in 1999 by WHO, CDC, and the Canadian Public Health Association, is a school-based survey developed to monitor youth tobacco use, attitudes, and exposure to tobacco smoke and has been completed by over 2 million students in 163 countries.

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