Linking Global Youth Tobacco Survey Data to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: the Case for Egypt

• Published in: Current addiction reports Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 54 - 64
• Main Authors: El-Shahawy, Omar, Nicksic, Nicole E., Ramôa, Carolina, Jawad, Mohammed, Niaura, Raymond, Abrams, David, Sherman, Scott E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Advertising; Cigarettes; Classrooms; Data collection; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurology; Prevention; Psychiatry; Questionnaires; Schools; Section Editors; Smoking; Students; Tobacco (S Sussman and R Garcia; Tobacco smoke; Topical Collection on Tobacco; Egypt; Tobacco control; Youth; MPOWER; Egypt; Global Youth Tobacco Survey; Smoking
• ISSN: 2196-2952; 2196-2952
• DOI: 10.1007/s40429-018-0184-0

Purpose Limited publications from Egypt have focused on prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco control policy. We used four waves of the Egypt Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) between 2001 and 2014 and a cigarette affordability measure, to evaluate the implementation of the World Health Organization’s MPOWER recommendations. Findings Despite Egypt’s implementation of several MPOWER recommendations, the enforcement of laws and regulations may be limited, and therefore had little to no impact on youth current smoking prevalence through 2014. Notably, experimentation with cigarette smoking has significantly increased between waves 2001 and 2014. Summary There is a missed opportunity for implementing evidence-based interventions for youth tobacco control in Egypt. There is a strong need for initiatives aiming at meaningful taxation, enforcement of smoking bans in public places, promoting smoke-free homes, appropriate mass media counter-advertising, and effective cessation activities.