National Survey Report on Adolescent Tobacco Use in Pakistan 2024

Islamabad:Today, The Initiative launched its survey report on Tobacco and Nicotine use among adolescents of Pakistan-2024, for the project named, Tobacco Control Policies and the health of adolescents in Pakistan. Thesurvey was conducted from December 2023 to May 2024, and revealed the current trends in tobacco and nicotine use among adolescents across Pakistan. It provided important insights into both in-school and out-of-school adolescents, who make up about 40% of all youth. This inclusive approach fills a critical gap in existing data and highlights the urgent need for effective tobacco control strategies. It addresses the gap by including out-of-school adolescents, a group often overlooked despite being vulnerable to tobacco marketing. Dr. Kamran Siddiqi (Principal Investigator of the TAP Study) emphasized the importance of this inclusive approach, saying, “Our survey aims to provide information about current trends of tobacco and nicotine use among adolescents in Pakistan, also including out-of-school adolescent group, a population often overlooked. The results reflect that adolescents prefer nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes more as compared to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.”Dr. Amina Khan from The Initiative, mentionedthat “We have observed an increase in the presence of valid tax stamps on cigarettes from 2023 to 2024. This shows that there is an improvement in the efforts to regulate cigarettes packs in Pakistan.” The TAP project is sponsored by the University of York, UK and funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), grant reference MR/X004228/1. For more information, please contact: Dr Amina Khan (The Initiative-Pakistan) Telephone No: +92 51 8732651, Email: theinitiativepk@gmail.com, website: www.theinitiative.org.pk