Sheila Morris
Country: Canada
Background - Law
Research Project: Knowledge and Awareness of tobacco-related health effects amongst selected groups in Dares Salaam and Arusha, Tanzania
In the face of epidemiological research showing the devastating health effects of tobacco and tobacco-related disease, the tobacco industry has repeatedly insisted that fully informed adults should have the right to smoke if they so choose. However, a definition of “fully informed” has not been established. In fact, the tobacco industry has a history of skewing the health message, and a consequence in the developing world is to exploit a people with an already low level of health knowledge. This denies entire populations their right to health-relevant information, and violates their right to health, and ultimately, right to life. This study takes an exploratory approach to tobacco-related health knowledge and health literacy in Tanzania, one of Africa’s biggest tobacco producers. Focus group discussions with diverse populations, both smokers and non-smokers, in Dar es Salaam and Arusha provide insights into their tobacco-related knowledge and perceptions of knowledge, and attempt to categorize this knowledge into four levels. Themes emerge from the discussions to show that there is a general lack of knowledge about the dangerous direct and indirect effects of tobacco, demonstrating that participants interviewed do not have full knowledge about tobacco and health.
Key words - Tobacco, knowledge, qualitative, rights, Tanzania.
Final Word Count: 13, 571