The audio is in isiZulu. See the English summary below.

MABUTHO: Ngokombiko ohlanganiswe  ngochwepheshe kwezempilo kuleli izinga lokubhema kwabantwana abasezingeni lokuba sesikoleni liphezulu kakhulu uma kuqhathaniswa namanye amazwe ase Africa. Lokhu kuba phezulu kwesibalo sabantwana ababhemayo kuleli kwenzeka naphezu kokuba khona komthetho iTobacco Control Amendment Act ka 2006, okungumthetho ovimbela abantwana abangaphansi kweminyaka engu 18 ukuthi babheme ugwayi. Lombiko osihloko sithi The Healthy Active Kids SA Report Card, ukhishwe ngabe Discovery Vitality ngokubambisana nabe Sport Science Institute of South Africa (SISSA) ngenhloso yokubheka izinto eziyizikhinyabezo ezimpilweni zabantwana abasezingeni lokuba sesikolweni. UProf. Vicki Lambert   we Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sport Medicines, eUniversity of Cape Town, noyinhloko yochwepheshe abahlanganise lombiko uthi okuthanda ukwethusa ngawo ukuthi ubonisa ukuthi abantwana abangu 30% abasezingeni lokuba sesikoleni sebeke bawubhema ugwayi ezimpilweni zabo. Kanti abangamaphesenti angu 21% bona basaqhubeka nokubhema kumanje.

PROF. VICKI LAMBERT: South African adolescents have the highest reported tobacco use amongst African health surveys. And the frightening thing is that 30% of our adolescents have smoked a cigarette in their life time, and what is more disturbing is that 21% are current smokers.

MABUTHO: UProf. Lambert uthi lezibalo zibonisa ukuthi kukhona ukungahambisani phakathi komthetho kanye nokulandelwa kwawo. Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ngokwesigaba 6 somthetho iTobacco Control Act ka 2006 abantwana abaneminyaka engaphansi kuka 18 kabavunyelwe ukuthenga nokuthengisa ugwayi. Kanti isigaba 4 salomthetho sithi akuvunyelwe ukuthengiswa kukagwayi ezikhungweni zezemfundo lapho uhhafu wabantwana abafunda khona beneminyaka engaphansi kuka 18. UProf. Lambert uthi lolucwaningo luyabonisa ukuthi nakuba lomthetho umuhle, inkinga evelayo ukuthi awuyiguquli imikhuba engemihle eyenziwayo.

PROF.VICKI LAMBERT: We have probably the best legislation in the world. So, if the legislation is good and the behaviour is not changing – is not reflecting the legislation –  then we need to work on the implementation. The message that we get from this is that we have a gap between legislation implementation.

MABUTHO: Khonamanjalo uProf. Thandi Puoane we School of Public Health enyuvesi yase Western Cape, uthi kumele ifakelwe izibuko lendaba yokusetshenziswa  kukagwayi ngabantwana. Uthi kuyasolisa ukuthi kukhona abantu ababathengisela ugwayi ezikoleni. Kanti naye ukhala esifanayo nesika Prof. Lambert kwelokuthi imithetho kanye nezinqubomgomo okuhloswe ngazo ukulawula ukusetshenziswa kogwayi zibukeka zingenzi mehluko ekunciphiseni isibalo sabantwana ababhemayo.

PROF. THANDI PUOANE: It’€™s surprising that you have the legislation in this country, we have policies of controlling smoking, but still a number of children are still smoking. It’€™s a cause of concern because there are parents who may be giving them money and there are people who are selling those things at school. We need to be concerned because it affects the future of those children.

MABUTHO: UAllan Pollard oyisikhulu esiphezulu kuDiscovery Vitality, okuyinkampani eyenza imisebenzi ephathelene nezempilo, nayo ebeyingxenye yokukhishwa kwalombiko, uthi izinto ezidalulwa ilombiko zithanda ukwethusa ikakhulukazi isibalo esiphezulu sokubhema kwabantwana. UPollard uthi kodwa unethemba lokuthi ukukhishwa kwalombiko kuzokwenza ukuthi kube khona okwenziwayo ukulungisa isimo.

ALLAN POLLARD: Some of the findings do give rise for concern, particularly, the findings around the use of tobacco. But there is also a lot of hope because once measuring things, you have got the ability to act on it and improve on it. And hopefully, as we measure this going forward and re-grade it, we will find these improvements that we’€™re  hoping for.

MABUTHO: Khonamanjalo uProf. Lambert uthi kunohlelo olukhona olwenziwa ngokubambisana nomnyango wezempilo kuzwelonke kanye nomkhandlu ocwaninga ngezempilo kuleli, iMedical Research Council, okuhloswe ngalo ukuxwayisa ngobungozi bokubhema ugwayi kwabantwana. Loluhlelo uthi seluvele seluqaliwe ezikolweni ezingu 36 kanti luzoqhubeka lufakwe kuzozonke izikole zakuleli laseNingizimu Africa esikhathini esifushane ukusuka manje.

PROF. VICKI LAMBERT: This is an initiative that the Department of Health has undertaken with the Medical Research Council. This is currently being implemented in 36 schools and will soon be launched nationally’€¦.So within a very short space of time, or within another year or so, we may have a tobacco control curriculum for our children.

MABUTHO: Ngokwalombiko akuwona nje ugwayi kuphela oyinkinga kubantu abasha labo abaseminyakeni yokuba sesikolweni. Ukungavocavoci umzimba, ukungadli ukudla okunomsoco kanye nokukhuluphala okweqile kungezinye zezinto ezibalulwe yilombiko njengeziyinkinga kwizimpilo kubantu abasha kuleli.

English summary.

Smoking children – cause for concern, warn experts

Health experts say the high level of tobacco use among South African children of school going age is worrisome.

The comment was made at the launch of a new research report, titled ‘€œHealth Active Kids SA Report Card’€. The research, whose aim was to identify factors that place the health of South African children at risk, was conducted by Discovery Vitality and the Sport Science Institute of South Africa (SISSA).

The Principal Investigator, Prof. Vicki Lambert of the Sport Science Institute of South Africa, said tobacco use among school children was identified as a serious problem.

‘€œSouth African adolescents have the highest reported tobacco use amongst African health surveys. And the frightening thing is that 30% of our adolescents have smoked a cigarette in their life time, and what is more disturbing is that 21% are current smokers,’€ said Prof. Lambert.

He added that the number of young people who take cigarettes indicates that the current anti-tobacco legislation is not helping to deter them from smoking. According to the Tobacco Control Amendment Act of 2006, children under the age of 18 years are not allowed to sell nor buy tobacco. It also prohibits the sale of tobacco in learning institutions where half of the learners are below 18 years of age.

‘€œWe have, probably, the best legislation in the world. So, if the legislation is good and the behaviour is not changing – is not reflecting the legislation – then we need to work on the implementation. The message that we get from this is that we have a gap between legislation and implementation,’€ she said.

Prof. Thandi Puoane of the School of Public Health at the University of Western Cape says there is a serious need to reduce the number of smoking children in this country.

‘€œIt’€™s surprising that you have the legislation in this country, we have policies of controlling smoking, but still a number of children are still smoking. It’€™s a cause of concern because there are parents who may be giving them money and there are people who are selling those things at school. We need to be concerned because it affects the future of those children,’€ said Prof. Puoane.

Allan Pollard, CEO of Discovery Vitality says the research served as a ‘€œsnapshot’€ of the state of health of South African kids, as it highlights the problems while proposing constructive ways of preventing them.

‘€œSome of the findings do give rise for concern, particularly, the findings around the use of tobacco. But there is also a lot of hope because once measuring things, you have got the ability to act on it and improve on it. And hopefully, as we measure this going forward and re-grade it, we will find these improvements that we’€™re  hoping for’€.

The Sport Science Institute of South Africa’€™s Prof. Lambert, said there is an initiative to create awareness about the possible danger of tobacco use in schools, but added that the programme needs to be rolled out to all schools.

‘€œThis is an initiative that the Department of Health has undertaken with the Medical Research Council. This is currently being implemented in 36 schools and will soon be launched nationally’€¦.So within a very short space of time, or within another year or so, we may have a tobacco control curriculum for our children,’€ said Lambert.

According to the report, tobacco use by under-age children is just the tip of the ice-berg among problems threatening the health of South African youth. The research also showed a high degree of poor diet, lack of physical activity and obesity as other issues to worry about.