Compliance With Tobacco Control Policy and Visibility of Cigarette Retailers Around Educational Facilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Hala AlJishi¹  Dian Kusuma²  Alaa AlQurashi³  Ali AlFaiz¹  Abdulaziz AlSaad⁴  Maha Aljishi⁵ 

[1] Research Services Administration;Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Imperial College Business School;Applied Clinical Research Administration;College of Sciences, King Saud University;Respiratory Administration

关键词: tobacco control;    cigarette addiction;    retailers;    schools;    Saudi Arabia (KSA);   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.713460

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Background In Saudi Arabia, cardiovascular diseases are among the top causes of death and disability, and smoking is one of the leading risk factors, particularly among males. Objective Our study aims to evaluate the compliance with the anti-smoking law among cigarette retailers and examine the visibility of cigarette retailers around educational facilities in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Methods We conducted a mapping survey and geospatial analysis of cigarette retailers around educational facilities from February to March 2020 (before the COVID-19 restriction) in Al-Olaya municipality in Riyadh city as a pilot study. We found 249 retailers, of which 152 sold cigarettes. Data analyses in ArcMap 10.6 compared the visibility within 250 and 500 meters from educational facilities. Results We found many retailers were not compliant with the tobacco control regulation: 57.1% of minimarkets sell cigarettes, 15.8% of cigarette retailers display the products openly, and 12.5% of cigarette retailers sold cigarettes by the stick. Moreover, 71% of the total cigarette retailers were within 500 m from schools, and 62% of all schools had at least one cigarette retailer within 500 m buffer (5-min walking or 2–3-min driving distance). Conclusion There is non-compliance with the anti-smoking law among cigarette retailers and high visibility of cigarette retailers around educational facilities in Saudi Arabia. Monitoring is needed for the effective implementation of tobacco control policies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY