Mobilization: presentation of GATS-Cameroon results to the civil society

Fifteen (15) associations of the civil society participated during an information workshop on the Global Adult Tobacco Survey results (GATS-2013), tobacco control and the proposed tobacco control bill, on Thursday 20th August 2015 in Yaounde.

In the presence of the representative of the ministry of public health and the press, the Cameroon Coalition to Counter Tobacco (C3T) presented to the Cameroonian civil society the results of « Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-2013)». With regards to this survey realized amongst Cameroonian adults:

-          1 100 000 million adults are tobacco users ;

-          19,2% of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke at work ;

-          22,9% of adults who took public transport are exposed to tobacco smoke ;

-          80,4% of adults are in favor of the prohibition of smoking inside confined public places.

According to the participants present during this gathering, the knowledge and conclusions on the results of GATS will lead a better orientation of action against tobacco across the country and to best support advocacy towards the adoption of a strong anti-tobacco law.

This workshop was equally an occasion to update information on the tobaccoindustry tactics in Cameroon, which violates the 2006 law on advertisement through more and more aggressive campaigns targeting youths and putting in the market new cigarette brands.

The situation of tobacco control and the anti-tobacco proposed tobacco control bill are equally subjects that enriched this gathering.