Implementation of tobacco and nicotine control health policy in the regions of the Russian Federation: results of the EPOHA-RF2 study

Aim. To study the implementation of legislative measures to protect public health from tobacco and nicotine products in 12 Russian regions and to develop a related assessment scale. Material and methods. We used data from the EPOHA-RF-2 survey (2023), which included 12662 users of tobacco products and/or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) aged ≥15 years in 12 Russian subjects. The implementation of key tobacco control legislative measures was assessed. An integrated scale for assessing tobacco/nicotine control standards was developed using the Joossens L & Raw M method (2006). Results. The results of implementing six cost-effective tobacco control measures, as assessed by the World Health Organization (WHO), are presented. Increasing taxes on tobacco products is not accompanied by a affordability decrease — with a 77% increase in gross regional product per capita from 2017 to 2022, the relative price of tobacco products at consumer power parity decreased by 17,5%. Compliance with the smoking/vaping ban in public places ranges from 30,8%/34% on train platforms to 85,5%/80,4% on buses. In the workplace, it is violated in >40% of cases. The proportion of those exposed to tobacco products/ ENDS advertising is higher among 15-19-year-olds compared to whole sample (42,9/31,2% vs, 20,6/16,9%; p