Dear editor: Currently, at the global level, tobacco consumption is the biggest public health challenge, killing over seven million people, 80% of whom are from low- and middle- income countries.¹1. World Health Organization. Tobacco. Fact Sheet. Switzerland: WHO, 2018 [cited 2017 feb 25]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheet... An alarming finding is the consumption among adolescents, with an important percentage under the age 18.²2. National Institute on Drug Abuse. How many adolescents use tobacco? In: Tobacco, Nicotine and E-cigarettes. National Institue on Drug Abuse, 2018:15-16 [cited 2017 feb 25]. Avalilable from: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/how-many-adolescents-use-tobacco
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/r... Due to this, from 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) established measures focused on the reduction and control of tobacco consumption, included in the MPOWER strategy.¹1. World Health Organization. Tobacco. Fact Sheet. Switzerland: WHO, 2018 [cited 2017 feb 25]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheet... ^,33. World Health Organization. Mpower in action. Defeating the global tobacco epidemic. Switzerland: WHO , 2013 [cited 2017 sep 24]. Available from: http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/publications/brochure_2013/en/
http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/public...

MPOWER adopts the following measures: monitoring about tobacco use and prevention strategies; protecting people from tobacco smoke; offering help to quit tobacco use; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raising taxes on tobacco.³3. World Health Organization. Mpower in action. Defeating the global tobacco epidemic. Switzerland: WHO , 2013 [cited 2017 sep 24]. Available from: http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/publications/brochure_2013/en/
http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/public... Of these, MPOWER component E reduces tobacco use approximately 7%, becoming one of the measures that generates greater consumption reduction.¹1. World Health Organization. Tobacco. Fact Sheet. Switzerland: WHO, 2018 [cited 2017 feb 25]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheet...

As part of the World No Tobacco Day, a survey was realized among 118 high school students from the north of the country, using four questions about the perception of advertising and promotion of tobacco of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS).⁴4. Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization [Internet]. Global youth tobacco survey (GYTS). Washington DC: PAHO/WHO, 2010. [about 2 screens] [cited 2017 Sep 24]. Available from: goo.gl/2XQJLj The statistical analysis under Stata v.14.0 program found that 72.88% had received at least one activity related to the promotion of cigarettes (table I). Also 66.9% had seen tobacco advertising posters in commercial establishments. Regarding anti-tobacco advertising, it was found that only 46.6% observed this type of information in newspapers or magazines, while 42.4% saw it on TV.

In Peru, the prevalence of tobacco consumption among youth was 9.7% in 2014, an amount that has not changed significantly to this day, and which compared to 2007 decreased by approximately 10%.⁵5. Rojas-Medina Y. Avances en el cumplimiento del Convenio Marco para el Control de Tabaco. Boletín Epidemiológico del Perú. 2017;26(SE 21):687.^,66. Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization [Internet]. GYTS - Reportes por país. Washington DC: PAHO/WHO , 2010. [about 2 screens] [cited 2017 Sep 24]. Available from: Available fromext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="goo.gl/i4hVBk"goo.gl/i4hVBk

The percentages indicate that there is a wide perception of cigarette promotion activities and a low perception of anti-tobacco activities, so it is expected that the suggestions of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will be put in practice.

Acknowledgment

To medical student Marlon Arellano Lama for the implementation of the tobacco education campaign.

References

Publication Dates