UAE targets vaping among youngsters in new Gulf health campaign

Dubai: The UAE is taking aim at vaping among young people, joining a Gulf-wide health campaign that urges teenagers and young adults to say no to e-cigarettes and other newer nicotine products before a habit can take hold.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) is taking part in the Gulf Health Council’s (GHC) “Today Before Tomorrow” campaign, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.

The campaign promotes early prevention of non-traditional tobacco and nicotine product use and protects young people from the risks of nicotine dependence.

Vaping means inhaling the vapour produced by a battery-powered device such as an e-cigarette, which often delivers nicotine in flavoured form. The campaign also covers heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches. These products differ in how they are used, but all of them expose users to nicotine, which is addictive.

"Today, exposure to non-traditional tobacco and nicotine products is associated with the declining cognitive function, mental health disorders, and impaired memory. Tomorrow, you will pay the price with your health," the ministry highlighted in a video released as part of the awareness campaign.

Running throughout the month, the campaign targets young people aged 15 to 24 across the GCC. It also reaches parents and health, education and youth entities. It aims to raise health awareness, correct misconceptions about these products and help young people make informed health decisions, supporting joint Gulf efforts to reduce smoking-related risk factors.

Brain at risk

The campaign places particular emphasis on protecting young people during a critical period of neurological and behavioural development.

Exposure to nicotine at this stage can affect functions linked to attention, learning, mood regulation and impulse control.

Dr Buthaina Bin Belaila, Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health Department at MoHAP, said the campaign seeks to correct common misconceptions that lead young people to underestimate the risks of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.

Although these products differ in how they are used, she said, exposure to nicotine, which is addictive, can adversely affect attention, learning and mood regulation during brain development, which continues beyond adolescence.

Flavours and peers

The campaign also looks at what may push a young person to try smoking for the first time. These include peer pressure, curiosity and the misconception that nicotine can relieve stress.

Dr Buthaina highlighted the importance of raising awareness of how appealing flavours, digital marketing and peer pressure can influence a young person’s decision to try smoking for the first time.

The drive draws attention to marketing techniques that use appealing flavours and contemporary product designs to reduce perceptions of health risk.

Beyond raising awareness, the campaign focuses on practical skills. It aims to help young people resist trying tobacco or nicotine products in the first place, manage social influences and recognise triggers for nicotine use.

It also shows them how to seek specialist support when they want to quit. This, the ministry said, helps make prevention more effective at younger ages.

Shared responsibility

Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector at MoHAP, said the UAE takes an integrated approach to preventing tobacco use. It combines legislation, regulation and early intervention to protect public health.

“The UAE’s experience shows that tobacco control is a shared responsibility,” Al Rand said. He stressed that public policies pursued by the relevant authorities must work in tandem with the role of families, educational institutions and the health sector.

He said the UAE’s participation in the campaign reflects the importance of Gulf-wide coordination in responding to emerging health challenges. It also draws on shared expertise to develop preventive approaches tailored to young people.

Such cooperation, he noted, supports GCC countries’ national priorities for tobacco control and for reducing tobacco-related diseases. It also advances the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles in the United Arab Emirates.

Protecting young people’s health today, he added, reduces future health burdens. It also strengthens the ability of future generations to learn, be productive and participate effectively in society.

Tobacco control record

MoHAP’s participation builds on the UAE’s wider tobacco-control efforts, underpinned by an integrated system of legislation, health policies, regulatory measures and preventive programmes.

These aim to reduce tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence and to help prevent non-communicable diseases, in line with the National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031.

Al Rand also highlighted the UAE’s leadership in combating smoking in all its forms since it joined the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005.

The country has since reinforced its regulatory measures through excise taxes on tobacco products, supporting policies aimed at reducing consumption.