5.5% of Bangladeshi youths use emerging tobacco products: Study

Around 5.5% of young people aged 18-24 surveyed in Bangladesh currently use emerging tobacco and nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches, while 28.1% have used at least one at some point, according to a new study.

Researchers conducted an online survey between March and July 2025, collecting responses from 524 people. Of them, 78.2% were male and 21.8% female; the findings of the study were shared today (10 September) at a dissemination event at the Cirdap Auditorium in Dhaka.

The study was titled "Emerging Tobacco Product Use Among Bangladeshi Youth", and the event was organised by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.

Researchers found that e-cigarettes were the most commonly used product, with 4.6% reporting current use. Nicotine pouches were used by 1.3%, while 0.8% reported using HTPs.

Use was considerably higher among male respondents. Around 34.4% of male participants had used at least one emerging tobacco or nicotine product in their lifetime, compared with 5.3% of female participants.

The study also found a strong association with conventional cigarette smoking. Among current cigarette smokers, 15.4% were using emerging tobacco or nicotine products, compared with 1.6% among those who were not current smokers.

Peer influence was among the leading reasons for use. Among current users, 37.9% cited social or peer pressure, while 34.5% said they used the products to reduce conventional tobacco use or as an alternative. Another 31% cited the nicotine level.

Vape or specialised tobacco shops were the main source for 37.9% of current users, while 31% obtained the products from friends or colleagues and 13.8% from online stores.

Marketing exposure was also widespread. Around 26% of respondents reported seeing advertisements at shops or points of sale, 20.8% on social media and 13.2% through other channels.

Among those exposed to advertisements on social media, 89% reported seeing them on Facebook, followed by Instagram at 34.9% and YouTube at 23.9%.

The study recommended stronger regulation of e-cigarettes, HTPs, and nicotine pouches, including stricter enforcement of age restrictions at points of sale, controls on advertising, promotion and sponsorship, health warnings, and taxation. It also called for restrictions on product displays at shops and online and social media promotion.

Zahir Uddin Swapon, political adviser to the prime minister and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Planning, said effective measures were needed to curb the spread of emerging tobacco and nicotine products and protect young people from nicotine addiction.

He said easy access to the products and their marketing could create new risks for young people.

Lawmaker Abu Mansur Sakhawat Hasan also called for stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine products to protect young people from addiction.

National Heart Foundation President Khandaker Abdul Awal Rizvi said various marketing strategies were being used to make the products attractive to young people. He said their promotion through social media and retail outlets posed a public health concern.