The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, April 4, 2025, expressed alarm over the increasing prevalence of adult tobacco and vape use, highlighting that the country continues to battle nicotine addiction.
“Nicotine addiction from tobacco products remains a critical public health challenge in the Philippines,” said the health agency.
According to the 2023 national nutrition survey, tobacco use among adults aged 20 to 59 has risen from 19 per cent in 2021 to 24.4 per cent.
The DOH emphasised that tobacco use was a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over eight million annual deaths are attributed to tobacco.
In the Philippines, the top three causes of death, heart attacks, cancer, and strokes are all linked to tobacco use.
The country has also recorded its first case of a vaping-related death, involving a 22-year-old athletic male with no prior history of smoking, who developed vaping-associated lung injury after starting at an early age.