South African Youth Respond to Health Messages

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Business Day (South Africa)
                  
                                                13 August 1998 
                Children start to get
                tobacco message

                Josey Ballenger

                EARLY research showed 98% of 1 350 children in
                Soweto and Johannesburg believed smoking was "bad
                for you", compared with only 77% two years ago, while
                76% recognised cigarette and snuff brand names, the
                Medical Research Council announced yesterday.

                "The high recognition rate of the logo (Rothmans) is
                probably due to its indirect advertising through sports
                sponsorship," said Thea de Wet, principal researcher of
                the council's 10-year "Birth to Ten" study. 

                De Wet and the Economics of Tobacco Control Project
                came out in strong favour of the health department's
                Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill recently
                passed by the Cabinet. 

                Researchers on the project said if cigarette purchases
                had ceased in 1995, 50 000 jobs would have been
                created if the cash was spent in a way "resembling
                ex-smokers' spending patterns".

                Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa director Edward
                Shalala said the assertions defied economic sense.