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Dynamics of prevalence of tobacco and nicotine consumption and secondhand smoke among the adult population of the Russian Federation: representative national surveys 2009-2024

Journal «MEDICINA» ¹ 2, 2026, pp.42-57

Authors

Salagay O. Î.1

Sakharova G. M.2

Antonov N. S.2

Stadnik N. M.23

1Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
2Russian Research Institute of Health (RIH), Moscow, Russia
3Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), Moscow, Russia

Corresponding author

Galina M. Sakharova; e-mail: pulmomail@gmail.com

Funding

The study had no sponsorship support.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received

18.03. 2026

Accepted

14.04.2026

Abstract

A global step in the fight against tobacco was the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003, which includes the organization of monitoring of the prevalence of tobacco consumption. The main condition for monitoring is its organization based on representative surveys of the population and its individual groups, as well as taking into account new forms of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. The article presents data from a twenty-year monitoring of the prevalence of tobacco and nicotine-containing product consumption based on representative surveys of the adult population: the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009 and 2016) and the Sample Survey of Population Health (2019-2024). The survey samples were formed based on the file of population registration sites in all regions of the Russian Federation using random selection with a probability of selection proportional to size. Based on the microdata of the surveys, the authors calculated the prevalence of tobacco/nicotine consumption, smoking and non-smoking tobacco, electronic cigarettes, vapes, and heated tobacco products, as well as secondhand smoke, among the entire adult population, men, women, and different age groups. The monitoring data indicate a decrease in tobacco consumption, although the prevalence of tobacco/nicotine consumption remains high. The rate of decrease in tobacco consumption among women was 1.4 times higher than among men, while the rate of increase in nicotine-containing product consumption among women was 3 times higher. Some consumers have switched to combined use of products. Among women, the proportion of such consumers was twice as high as among men. The introduction of a ban on smoking in public places has significantly reduced the exposure of the population to ambient tobacco smoke and electronic cigarette aerosol.

Key words

tobacco consumption monitoring, nicotine consumption monitoring, behavioral risk factors, tobacco, nicotine-containing products, electronic cigarettes, vapes, heated tobacco products, secondhand smoke, prevalence of consumption, Russian Federation

DOI

References

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