Bangladesh Health Communications Campaign

The first national tobacco control mass media campaign was launched in Bangladesh on
World No Tobacco Day - May 31, 2011.

Tobacco control is desperately needed in Bangladesh, a low-income country which contends with many other health and development issues. Approximately 43% of all adults in the country use some form of tobacco; about 45% of males and 1.5% of females are smokers. Most popular among the poor and rural populations are hand-rolled ‘bidi’ leaf cigarettes, which account for 75% of the cigarettes sold in Bangladesh. The cost of tobacco-related death and disease in the country is estimated at US$653 million. In addition, 30% of deforestation in Bangladesh is related to tobacco manufacturing. The cumulative economic, environmental, and human costs of tobacco use in Bangladesh are staggering.