New research on tobacco retail and marketing near schools in Egypt

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A new paper co-authored by a member of the Tobacco Control Research Group, published in BMC Public Health, investigates the availability and promotion of tobacco and nicotine products at retail points of sale around schools in five Egyptian governorates. Audits conducted within 100 metres of 102 schools found that most schools had at least one nearby point-of-sale, over half of surrounding retailers sold tobacco or nicotine products, and products were routinely displayed, often at children’s eye level and close to sweets and snacks. Single-stick cigarette sales were common, while advertising (including illuminated signage) was also observed. The authors call for urgent adoption an enforcement of advertising bans and restrictions on product availability in school areas.

Co-author Dr Raouf Alebshehy (Tobacco Control Research Group) notes:

“Children in Egypt are routinely exposed to tobacco marketing right on their school doorsteps. Our findings show dense retailer presence, widespread single-stick sales, and product displays designed to catch kids’ attention. Practical fixes are available now: enforce point-of-sale advertising bans, end single-stick sales, and introduce buffer zones that prohibit tobacco retailing near schools. These measures would immediately reduce youth exposure and support Egypt’s commitments under the WHO FCTC.”

Read the paper:

Investigating tobacco presence at retail points of sale around schools in Egypt. E.H. Elsebaie, R. Alebshehy, A.H. Abdelaal, et al., BMC Public Health, Published Online First: 24 September 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24675-z.

See also the Tobacco Tactics pages:

See a further TCRG research papers:

Policies regulating retail environment to reduce tobacco availability: A scoping review, R. Alebshehy, Z. Asif, M. Boeckmann, Frontiers in Public Health, Volume 11 – 2023, doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.975065

Public’s perception of policies reducing tobacco availability by regulating the tobacco retail environment: A case study in Egypt, R. Alebshehy, E.H. Elsebaie, O.Razum, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, 2025;11(January):6, doi: 10.18332/tpc/197384

Effects of retail environment regulations on reducing tobacco retailers and operating hours: a case study in Egypt, R. Alebshehy, R. Ibrahim, S. Elmitwalli , Tobacco Control, Published Online First: 03 March 2025, doi:10.1136/tc-2024-058995

 

Featured image: ITookSomePhotos | CC BY 4.0 

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