The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: To ascertain similarities in the tobacco and alcohol consumption patterns, among secondary school students.

Methods: Data was collected by means of a pre-coded questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed to 4058 students in 56 private/ public secondary schools. Students in Forms 2, 4 and 6 were used in the survey.

Results: From the survey the following were revealed about the students'consumption patterns: 1. For 30-day current use, that is, use prior to the survey; 8.5% used cigarettes while 26% used alcohol. 2. Frequency of daily use: 32.5% smoked 1-5 cigarettes daily, while 18% had 1-5 drinks daily. 3. First use for the 12-13 age group; 34.2% used cigarettes while 28.5% used alcohol. 4. The main reason for both cigarette (48.8%) and alcohol (32.0%) use was curiosity. 5. Attitude and Perception: a. 2.2% said that smoking cigarettes were not harmful while 5.2 % did not know that smoking cigarettes was harmful. b. 2.4 % said that it was not harmful to frequently drink alcohol while 6.2% did not know if it was harmful to frequently drink alcohol.

The above results have shown that there has to be greater emphasis on cigarette and alcohol use/abuse and cessation in School Prevention Programmes. There are implications for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC); enforce legislation to prevent the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors, ban advertisement of products on the media, include cessation programmes and special treatments programmes in School Education Programmes.