Tobacco Prevention in Egypt: Policy Implications for Working Youths

Tobacco smoking has become a significant public health problem in developing countries, in which the majority of smokers live (84%). There is an urgent need to collect information on current trends in youth smoking to aid tobacco prevention and control efforts in Egypt. Accordingly, Georgetown University, in collaboration with the Egyptian Smoking Prevention Research Institute (ESPRI), conducted national and community level surveys to assess current patterns of youth smoking. In a national random sample of 922 individuals ages 12-17, the overall prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 4%, with another 4% engaged in experimentation, almost entirely by males. This prevalence rate is 15-20% for the critical transition ages 18-20. Furthermore, data from a community intervention study in a rural area of the Nile delta region suggest that, while smoking was often practiced by a wide array of adult role models, the youth were open and receptive to tobacco awareness campaigns conducted in schools and youth clubs. Out-of-school youth —up to 30-40% in some poor rural areas during the primary school stage (age 6-12 years) – have an even higher prevalence rate than transition youth: the study findings suggest that 22% of this population currently smoke cigarettes. This paper will identify several policy implications for Egypt based on these findings and present recommendations drawn from WHO, World Bank and other guidelines for tobacco control policies in developing countries. These recommendations will focus on working youths, building on ESPRI's success in participatory design and implementation of community-level interventions to prevent tobacco use.