Research Articles

ARI Newsletter September 2024 (October 28, 2028)
ISLAMABAD: The Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) has called for a significant scale-up in efforts to provide effective and affordable smoking essation services across Pakistan, where an estimated 31 million people are tobacco users. "Smoking is a major public health issue in Pakistan, ontributing to a wide range of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions," said Arshad Ali Syed, Project Director of ARI. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter August 2024 (October 02, 2024)
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination told the National Assembly that the Velo nicotine pouches are non-obacco products and do not fall under its regulatory mandate. Click for detail

Health Ministry says Velo nicotine pouches non-tobacco products, not under its regulatory mandate (September 11, 2024)
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination told the National Assembly on September 5 that the Velo nicotine pouches are non-tobacco products and do not fall under its regulatory mandate. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter July 2024 (August 19, 2024)
Qatar: A recent study by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has revealed that 63.5% of the visitors to smoking cessation clinics successfully quit the habit, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported. Significant differences in smoking cessation rates were noted based on the nationality and educational level of the participants, though. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter June 2024 (August 06, 2024)
KARACHI: A study, co-authored by researchers from three countries, has discovered the presence of second-hand smoke in an alarming 95 per cent of children in Pakistan and Bangladesh, putting them at an increased risk of respiratory tract infections and, in cases of babies with hereditary disorders, death. Click for detail

How to cope with effects of quitting smoking (July 05, 2024)
Every smoker faces different conditions after quitting smoking. When you quit smoking, your body and mind have to get used to not having nicotine, almost every smoker has some nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This article highlights some such symptoms and ways to prevent them. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter May 2024 (July 01, 2024)
The latest study done by Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) confirms consumption of tobacco has not declined in Pakistan. The study says tobacco industry has shifted from a legitimate industry to tax-evading cigarette manufacturers in a big way. The LUMS has estimated it is going to cause an annual loss of Rs300 billion to national exchequer during the ongoing financial year. Click for detail

For health's sake (July 01, 2024)
Quitting smoking brings immediate relief for most smokers. This is a fact every smoker should know and understand. A dependence on tobacco can lead to severe diseases and prove fatal. It is important to remember that no matter how long one has smoked cigarettes, quitting has benefits. Click for detail

Clinical study protocol on electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches for smoking cessation in Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial (May 23, 2024)
Pakistan is one of most vulnerable low- and middle-income countries with 29 million adult active tobacco users. Smoking cessation services are lacking as the tobacco control initiatives have largely failed to address the smoking endemic. Over the last 5 years, Pakistan has witnessed the use of innovative tobacco harm reduction (THR) products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. Click for detail

Public Health Practitioners’ Knowledge towards Nicotine and Other Cigarette Components on Various Human Diseases in Pakistan: A Contribution to Smoking Cessation Policies (May 23, 2024)
Smoking cessation seems to be a weak link in the struggle against tobacco epidemic in Pakistan. Awareness regarding nicotine is lacking not only in the general population but also among public health practitioners. This lack of knowledge is one of the key barriers to bringing down the prevalence of smoking. Using primary survey data and nonparametric econometric techniques, this study assesses the knowledge of nicotine and harm reduction among public health practitioners in Pakistan. Click for detail

Cigarette and ENDS dual use longitudinal transitions among adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, Waves 4-5 (2016-2019) (April 19, 2024)
A study by Dr Eva Sharma has found that dual, daily use of ENDS and traditional cigarettes led to reduced cigarette smoking compared with non-daily ENDS use, suggesting a role for ENDS in smoking cessation. Click for detail

E-cigarettes and harm reduction: An evidence review (April 19, 2024)
A new reported published by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) looks at the part e-cigarettes can play in preventing death, disability and inequalities from tobacco use. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter February 2024 (April 01, 2024)
Syed Yawar, 35, a manager in a private firm, started smoking in 2009. Hooked to the habit, he was smoking a packet of 20 cigarettes a day. However, this also brought cough attacks, chest infection and shortness of breath. In the meantime, like all adult smokers in Pakistan, Yawar made quitting attempts but could not give up smoking. Click for detail