ObjectiveEvidence shows that smoking tobacco using a waterpipe is significantly associated with diseases. Despite this, waterpipe use seems to be increasing worldwide, though nationally representative data are not widely available. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) provides an opportunity to measure various indicators of waterpipe use from nationally representative surveys.MethodsData were obtained for adults 15 years of age or older from 13 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam) who completed GATS from 2008–2010. The GATS questionnaire collected data on current waterpipe use, including daily/less than daily prevalence and number of sessions per day/week. An optional waterpipe module measured former use, age of initiation, and level of consumption during a session.ResultsGATS was successful in producing nationally representative data on waterpipe use from 13 countries, many of which for the first time. The prevalence of waterpipe use among men was highest in Vietnam (13.0%) and Egypt (6.2%); among women, waterpipe use was highest in Russia (3.2%) and Ukraine (1.1%). While over 90% of adults in Ukraine thought smoking tobacco causes serious illness, only 31.4% thought smoking tobacco using a waterpipe causes serious illness.ConclusionsGATS data provide the ability to analyse waterpipe use within a country and across countries. Monitoring of waterpipe use at a national level will better enable countries to target tobacco control interventions such as education campaigns about the negative health effects of waterpipe use.
Egypt has implemented several initiatives to reduce tobacco use. The World Health Organization (WHO) MPOWER technical package, which aims to reverse the tobacco epidemic, is implemented at various levels throughout the country. Our findings show that there is significant variation in the prevalence of tobacco use and types of tobacco used by adult men and women in Egypt. GATS data can be used to better understand comparative patterns of tobacco use by adults, which in turn can be used to develop interventions.
The paper addresses the impact of the adoption and implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and how successful the FCTC is as a tool for health promotion. The FCTC implementation has impacted areas such as surveillance systems for tobacco control, increasing political commitment, development of legislation and addressing new social norms in tobacco consumption. These developments help to overcome many challenges for better health promotion in the region. However, there are still other challenges such as the tobacco industry influence, but those challenges will not undermine the gains already achieved through both the negotiation process and implementation process of the FCTC. In conclusion, implementation of the FCTC has contributed positively to advancing health promotion in the region, and the continuation of strong implementation will lead to even better outcomes.
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