- Government survey found that 12.2 per cent of adolescents aged 13–17 reported cigarette use, compared with 11.0 per cent recorded among adults in the 2024 STEPS survey
- alcohol use and cannibas also a concern
By THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – More school-going adolescents are using tobacco than adults, with the latest government health survey revealing a worrying rise in tobacco use among young people in Eswatini.
The 2025 Global School Health Survey (GSHS) found that 12.2 per cent of adolescents aged 13–17 reported cigarette use, compared with 11.0 per cent recorded among adults in the 2024 STEPS survey.
The government presentation describes the adolescent figure as slightly higher than the adult prevalence, raising concern that tobacco use is taking root early in life.
The GSHS is an internationally standardised survey developed by WHO in collaboration with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It collects information on health behaviours and protective factors among school-going children.
TOBACCO USE RISING
The survey shows that tobacco use among adolescents has increased, while the government has identified the early uptake of risky behaviours as a major concern.
The 2025 results show 12.2 per cent tobacco use among adolescents, compared with the adult figure of 11.0 per cent from the STEPS 2024 survey.
The government presentation also warns that many risky behaviours are beginning at increasingly younger ages.
The survey’s high-level summary states that adolescent health risks are increasing and occurring earlier in life, with behaviours such as alcohol use, tobacco use and sexual activity starting before the age of 14 among some young people.
Tobacco is, however, only one part of a broader picture of substance use among adolescents.
ALCOHOL AND CANNABIS ALSO A CONCERN
According to the survey, 23.6 per cent of adolescents reported alcohol use, while 11.8 per cent reported cannabis use.
Cannabis use has nearly doubled compared with the 2013 GSHS figure of 5.9 per cent.
The survey also recorded a sharp increase in obesity, with adolescent obesity rising from 3.8 per cent in 2013 to 6.6 per cent in 2025.
Overweight increased from 15.7 per cent to 22.1 per cent, while underweight rose from 2.7 per cent to 3.9 per cent.
Physical inactivity emerged as one of the biggest concerns, with 85.3 per cent of adolescents classified as physically inactive.
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
The survey paints an equally troubling picture regarding adolescent mental health.
The proportion of young people who had seriously considered suicide increased from 17.3 per cent in 2013 to 25.0 per cent in 2025.
Suicide attempts also increased, rising from 17.2 per cent to 24.3 per cent.
The survey further found that 59.4 per cent of students reported having been seriously injured, compared with 38.6 per cent in 2013.
Bullying remains a persistent concern, with the proportion of students reporting that they had been bullied increasing slightly from 32.1 per cent to 33.2 per cent.
SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR ALSO INCREASES
The survey found that the proportion of students who reported having had sexual intercourse increased from 20.6 per cent in 2013 to 28.3 per cent in 2025.
At the same time, condom use among those reporting sexual intercourse declined from 62.4 per cent to 55.3 per cent.
The government presentation warns that this combination represents increased exposure to sexual and reproductive health risks, including sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy.
SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM WORSENING
The survey also recorded an increase in students missing school without permission.
The proportion rose from 14.1 per cent in 2013 to 21.6 per cent in 2025.
The government says worsening absenteeism could potentially be associated with engagement in other risk behaviours.
At the same time, some protective indicators improved.
The proportion of adolescents reporting that their parents never or rarely understood their problems fell from 57 per cent to 43.4 per cent, suggesting improved parental understanding and emotional support.
Those reporting that their parents never or rarely spent free time with them also declined from 63 per cent to 43.2 per cent.
GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR STRONGER ACTION
The government has recommended stronger action across schools, families and communities to address the findings.
Among the recommendations are strengthening school feeding and nutrition education, increasing physical activity, enforcing tobacco and alcohol laws, expanding mental health support and strengthening anti-bullying policies.
The government also wants comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, improved hygiene facilities and stronger coordination between the health and education sectors.
The survey recommends the strengthening of schools as platforms for health promotion, including integrating mental health, nutrition, physical activity, substance-use prevention, injury prevention and sexual and reproductive health interventions.
It further calls for stronger enforcement of legislation covering tobacco and emerging nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, alcohol access and marketing, sugar-sweetened beverages and unhealthy food environments.
The government says children and adolescents must be protected from early exposure to products and behaviours that can increase their future risk of non-communicable diseases.
The findings also call for age-appropriate, skills-based health education from pre-primary through secondary school, with greater emphasis on life skills, mental health, healthy lifestyles, substance-use prevention and sexual and reproductive health before risky behaviours begin.
The government plans to institutionalise routine adolescent health surveillance, with the GSHS recommended to be repeated every three to five years to monitor trends, evaluate interventions and guide evidence-based policy and resource allocation.
The latest findings therefore present a stark warning: young people are increasingly being exposed to health risks that were traditionally associated with adulthood, with tobacco use among adolescents now recorded above the adult comparison figure used in the government’s presentation.
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