ADDIS ABABA- April 04, 2025 (NIPN/EPHI) - Preventing tobacco use, a major cause of non-communicable diseases, can significantly reduce its impact on the economy and social life, senior government officials said here yesterday. The officials from the federal Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), and the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) made the remarks while opening a half-day consultative workshop that reviewed the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Ethiopia 2024 Dissemination.
State Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Dereje Duguma, said in his opening remarks that tobacco addiction contributes to non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory ailments. He further emphasized that tobacco is a major driver of economic and public health crises. “Therefore, the MoH, EPHI, EFDA, and other stakeholders are carefully conducting research and prevention efforts to reduce and eliminate challenges affecting the country’s productive citizens,” Dr. Dereje emphasized.
The state minister stated that research and the subsequent measures have led to promising progress in preventing young people under the age of 21 from smoking cigarettees. It also led to the development of practical regulations to prevent smoking in public spaces. “Significant progress has been made through public education and awareness on the risks of smoking, promoting healthy eating habits, encouraging physical exercise, and maintaining environmental cleanliness,” he noted.
Dr. Dereje expressed his appreciation to the study teams, experts, and researchers at EPHI and EFDA, including the close support of WHO and other stakeholders, for the unreserved contributions they have been making to conduct the research.
The Director-General of EPHI, Dr. Mesay Hailu, said in his keynote address that “GATS is another testament to our commitment to suppporting public health improvement efforts based on solid and productive research”.
He stated that tobacco, one of the leading causes of death and serious health hazards worldwide, is responsible for eight million deaths each year, along with an additional seven million deaths caused by related issues. Dr. Messay also said that 1.3 million people die each year as a result of exposure to tobacco smoke.
He further stated that, according to the first round of the GATS survey conducted in Ethiopia in 2016, five percent, or 3.4 million, of adult Ethiopians were tobacco users. “On the other hand, the 2016 report also indicated that over 17,000 people die in Ethiopia every year due to health problems associated with tobacco use,” the Director General said.
Dr. Mesay said regarding the findings of the study that the Ethiopian government, recognizing the seriousness and urgency of the problem, has taken strong policy measures to prevent tobacco use. “Accordingly, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was put into effect in 2004. Based on this framework, a proclamation containing strong tobacco control laws was implemented in 2019. The proclamation included the following strong laws: (1) 100% smoke-free policy in public places, (2) ban on the sale of single-use cigarettes, (3) ban on flavored tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, and (4) mandatory graphic health warnings covering 70% of tobacco packaging cartons.
According to Dr. Mesay, the second round of the GATS study was conducted eight years after the first round, aimed at assessing changes over that period and identifying areas that require further attention. “The study provides insights into changes in tobacco use, levels of exposure to passive smoke in public places, efforts by tobacco users to quit, and the community’s awareness of the health risks associated with tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure,” said the Director-General.
Finally, based on the findings of the study, he emphasized that while Ethiopia has made significant progress in tobacco control, there is still much work to be done. “Therefore, by identifying the gaps, we can use the outcomes as input for programs and policies to protect the health of our citizens, prevent the next generation from falling into tobacco addiction, and make Ethiopia a leader in tobacco control,” he said.
The Director-General of EFDA, Heran Gerba, for her part, said that the effectiveness of the research conducted jointly by the EPHI and EFDA, in partnership with other stakeholders including MoH, WHO, and others, should be pleasing to every one.
The Director-General explained that GATS is an evidence-based, internationally standardized household-based survey that supports policy-making and measures progress in implementing the WHO’s FCTC on tobacco control. “With GATS 2024, Ethiopia will be able to register encouraging results and identify gaps in its efforts to strengthen tobacco control,” she added.
The survey results show that currently 4.6 percent of Ethiopians (adults) use tobacco, with 8.8 percent men and 0.5 percent women, according to her.
Director-General Heran further stated that the use of tobacco among women has decreased significantly in this study. According to the study conducted eight years ago (in 2016), 2.1 percent of women were identified as smokers, while the result of the current study shows that their number has decreased to 0.5 percent.
Experts who led the study, particularly Tolossa Gemeda from EFDA and Kirubel Tesfaye from EPHI, provided extensive explanation of the study’s results. This was followed by an in-depth discussion among the participants of the consultative workshop.
The consultative workshop, held at Elliliy International Hotel, was attended by over 80 senior officials at the position of deputy directors, directors, and division heads from EPHI, EFDA, and sub national health bureaus; researchers, and journalists drawn from various governmental and non-governmental organizations. (NIPN/EPHI).
