National Heart Foundation study exposes lack of age verification and heavy social media promotion
5.5% of Bangladeshi Youth Use E-Cigarettes and Novel Tobacco: Study
- Study reveals 5.5% of youths aged 18–24 actively use e-cigarettes, HTPs, or nicotine pouches; 28.1% have experimented
- E-cigarettes dominate novel product usage at 4.6%, with higher lifetime prevalence among young males (34.4%)
- Only 24.1% of buyers were prompted for age verification; Facebook accounts for 89% of digital promo exposure
DHAKA: Highlighting an escalating public health concern, a baseline study has revealed that 5.5 percent of Bangladeshi youth aged 18 to 24 currently consume novel tobacco and nicotine alternatives, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and nicotine pouches. Furthermore, 28.1 percent of respondents reported having experimented with these products at least once. The findings were disclosed during a dissemination seminar hosted by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital on Thursday, 10 September 2026.
Conducted between March and July 2025 across 524 young respondents (78.2% male, 21.8% female), the study identified e-cigarettes as the most prevalent delivery mechanism, used by 4.6 percent of participants, followed by nicotine pouches at 1.3 percent and HTPs at 0.8 percent. Gender dynamics showed a higher lifetime trial rate among males at 34.4 percent compared to 5.3 percent among females. Additionally, dual usage remains pronounced, with 15.4 percent of conventional cigarette smokers actively consuming novel tobacco variants.
Key drivers pushing youth toward initiation include peer pressure (37.9%) and the misleading perception of using them as smoking cessation aids (34.5%). The study revealed critical enforcement gaps in retail distribution: only 24.1 percent of buyers were asked to show age verification documents upon purchase. Digital marketing surveillance revealed heavy promotional exposure, with Facebook serving as the primary channel (89%), followed by Instagram (34.9%) and YouTube (23.9%).
Addressing the session as chief guest, Political Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Planning, Zahir Uddin Swapon, MP, stated, "Protecting youth from predatory nicotine marketing demands comprehensive regulatory tightening against the proliferation and retail accessibility of novel tobacco products."
Special Guest Dr. Abu Mansur Sakhawat Hasan, MP, alongside National Heart Foundation President Prof. Dr. Khandaker Abdul Awal Rizvi, reiterated the urgency of closing regulatory loopholes, penalizing surrogate advertisements, and mandating strict point-of-sale age verifications. The seminar opened with introductory remarks from Prof. Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, while Tobacco Control Program Coordinator Dr. Aruna Sarkar presented the empirical findings.
//DBTech/AJP/SME/FOET//
