Challenges and solutions to high smoking in Zambia

Tobacco use is silently jeopardizing the health and future of Zambia's younger generations. With worrying rates of adolescent smoking, the economic consequences are worsening, from healthcare costs and lost productivity to premature mortality. An article published on August 26, 2025, drawing in particular on the Tobacco Control and Global Youth Tobacco Surveys, highlights the reality of youth smoking in Zambia. Identifying these determinants and supporting prevention initiatives appears essential to protect health and ensure sustainable development for the country's future.[1].

Prevalence and trends of smoking in Zambia

Youth tobacco use in Zambia is a major public health concern. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS, 2021), 12.9% of adolescents aged 13 to 15 years use tobacco in various forms.

The proportion is slightly higher among boys (14 %) than among girls (11.8 %). Regular smoking affects approximately 9 % in this age group, a significant increase compared to the 6.2 % recorded in 2011. While the prevalence has decreased among boys (from 14 % to 10 %), it has increased among girls (from 5.7 % to 8 %).

The most frequently cited age of initiation is 14 and 15 years, but nearly a quarter of smokers report having started before the age of 7.

The social, economic and psychological determinants of smoking

Several factors promote the initiation and continuation of smoking among adolescents.

First, social and family influences, since those around them, particularly peers and parents who smoke, normalize the practice and increase the likelihood of addiction.

Furthermore, marketing and advertising are important because the campaigns, sometimes close to schools and places frequented by young people, present smoking as a glamorous or rebellious behavior.

Added to this are accessibility and low cost. Tobacco products are widely available, often without age restrictions.

Finally, psychological factors must be considered, as curiosity and the desire to integrate into a social group during adolescence also contribute to experimentation and addiction.

The health, economic and social consequences

Tobacco poses a significant public health and economic burden. In adolescents, it increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and reduces academic performance. In adults, it leads to productivity losses and cancer.

Each year, tobacco use causes 7,142 deaths in Zambia, or about 6% of all causes of death, with 60% of tobacco-related deaths occurring among working people under the age of 70. Secondhand smoke, on the other hand, causes 800 deaths annually.

Zambia's health system is designed to treat acute and infectious diseases, as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have not been prioritized by donors. The first specialized cancer hospital opened in 2007, but treatment remains inaccessible to many Zambians due to lack of resources and the allocation of funding to other areas related to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Tobacco also generates high medical costs, estimated at 154 million kwacha (approximately 5.6 million euros). Families bear a large portion of these expenses, increasing the risk of poverty.

Furthermore, tobacco production contributes to deforestation, land degradation, and environmental pollution, exacerbating social and ecological impacts. Tobacco production and discarded cigarette butts damage arable land, waterways, beaches, and air, threatening food security, drinking water, the climate, and tourism in Zambia, its fastest-growing sector. In addition, 620 tons of cigarette butts, which are toxic waste, and cigarette packs add to the environmental cost for the country.

Policy challenges and recommendations

Zambia signed and ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on 23 May 2008, but implementation remains limited. The lack of a comprehensive law and the economic influence of the tobacco industry are hampering progress.

The main obstacles concern the weakness of taxation, the inadequacy of educational campaigns, uncontrolled sales to minors and difficulties in coordination between ministries leading to a lack of strategy and consistency in public policies.

The article proposes solutions, such as increasing tobacco taxation, in line with the provisions of the WHO treaty, so that taxes represent at least 70% of the retail price of products. The authors also recommend banning all forms of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products, including the removal of stalls, and strengthening controls on sales to minors, with a ban on sales to young people under 19. Finally, they call for the development of awareness campaigns and propose sustainable agricultural alternatives to producers, such as soybeans, with financial and planning support from the Ministry of Agriculture and international organizations.

The adoption of a comprehensive law, aligned with international standards, appears to be an essential step in protecting young people and reducing the burden of smoking on Zambian society. A recently published study in Zambia highlighted the challenges of measures to reduce easy accessibility to products, showing that 99 tobacco product sales outlets, including shops and kiosks, are located less than 100 meters from primary, secondary and high schools, playgrounds and arcades. further exposing children to tobacco marketing and promotion strategies.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AD

[1]Dennis Tembo, The economic consequences of tobacco use among adolescents in Zambia., News Diggers Media, published August 26, 2025, accessed August 27, 2025

National Committee Against Smoking |