CHS Hosts Stakeholder Meeting Calling for Stronger Policies and Enforcement to Address Tobacco Industry Tactics
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YEREVAN, Armenia — On October 30, the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) hosted a concluding stakeholder meeting as part of the “Investigation and Countering of Tobacco Industry’s Interference with Tobacco Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship Ban at the Point-of-Sale in Armenia” project funded by Vital Strategies on behalf of Bloomberg Philanthropies. It aimed to expose the tobacco industry’s tactics targeting youth with novel products at points of sale (POS). The event brought together key representatives from the RA Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Health, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health and Labor Inspection Body, the Market Surveillance Inspection Body, and the Health and Social Affairs Department of the Kotayk region.
The meeting aimed to share the project’s findings with key stakeholders and foster discussions on addressing the challenges posed by the tobacco industry’s persistent marketing tactics, especially those targeting youth. The project coordinators presented a comprehensive overview of the research findings, highlighting the tobacco industry’s strategies to circumvent the advertising, promotion, and sponsorship ban at POS. The findings were also shared with participants through a detailed PowerPoint presentation, fact sheets tailored for policymakers, and a project video summarizing the key details of the study.
The research findings revealed and exposed significant non-compliance with tobacco control laws at POS in Yerevan and the Kotayk region. Observations at 132 POS, located close to schools, colleges, and universities, uncovered that e-cigarettes were prominently displayed in attractive packaging with a variety of flavors, often placed near children’s items such as toys and snacks. Many POS openly displayed tobacco products, even in the absence of customers, and over half lacked visible signage prohibiting sales to minors. Direct and indirect advertising, including illuminated signs, printed materials, and promotional offers such as discounts and free products, were also observed. These tactics, which industry uses to circumvent the tobacco control law in Armenia, were found to increase youth exposure to tobacco products.
After the presentations, the stakeholders engaged in a discussion on enforcement gaps, the need for stricter regulations, and opportunities for collaboration to count these tactics. Following the meeting, they received materials designed to support further dissemination of findings within their respective organizations.
The stakeholder meeting concluded with a collective commitment to addressing the tobacco industry interference and fostering stronger collaboration among key stakeholders. It marked the successful culmination of the project, highlighting its impact and setting the stage for collaboration to strengthen control of tobacco products through stronger enforcement and development of additional policies.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.
