The first report to include comprehensive data on adult tobacco consumption in Egypt has been prepared by the Ministry of Health, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, and the World Health Organization.
The report features a survey conducted on a sample of 23,760 male and female subjects over the age of 15. Six chapters detail the results of the survey and the report also includes information about measures adopted to discourage smoking.
The report revealed that 38 percent of male smokers in Egypt use just one type of tobacco product.
The percentages of smokers among the age brackets of 25-44 and 45-46 years of age are 46.1 percent and 48.9 percent respectively, the report said.
The most widely-used product is cigarettes, with smokers consuming an average of one pack daily, according to the report.
The report also revealed that 56.2 percent of people who smoke shisha do so at home, with 35.9 percent smoking at coffee shops.
Passive smoking is a widespread phenomenon, according to the report, which said that 80 percent of Egyptians are exposed to passive smoking on public transportation, at restaurants, and even in health care establishments.
The report also said 5 percent of male adults and 0.03 percent of female adults chew tobacco.
Finally, the report concluded that Egypt needs an effective national program to help smokers quit, especially since 41 percent of smokers say they have tried at some point to give up but failed, with only 17.1 percent of smokers succeeding.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
