The Pan American Health Organization, PAHO is reporting that there has been a higher tobacco consumption rate among children aged 13 to 15 years, as opposed to adults.

Speaking at yesterday’s (July 27) Joint Select Committee on the Tobacco Control Act, PAHO Representative Rosa Sandovol cited a recent study, which indicated that 15.6 percent of teenagers are using tobacco products.

She further noted that 13.7 percent of boys and 9.7 percent of girls have reportedly been using electronic cigarettes.

In contrast, only 11 percent of adults have been found to use tobacco on a regular basis, with 7 percent being daily users.

Of this number, she noted that the consumption ratio of boys to girls is closer than that among men and women.

The committee meeting forms part of efforts by the government to tackle non-communicable diseases, NCDs.

Tobacco is said to be one of the main contributors to NCDs, such as cancer.

Tobacco kills around 8 million people annually, including 1 million in the Americas.