Tobacco use is one of the most common risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The World Health Organization (WHO) country estimates of 2010 showed that NCDs accounted for 27% of all deaths in Tanzania. In 2008, it was estimated that in Tanzania, NCDs caused a total of 75.7 and 58.8 deaths per 1,000 population, of which 42.8% and 28.5% were below age 60 years among males and females respectively.

Tobacco use is a risk factor that cuts across all four main Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) categories – cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes . It is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease worldwide and it kills more than 7 million people a year globally. More than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, while around 890,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to SHS . An efficient and systematic surveillance system is important to monitor tobacco use and evaluate tobacco prevention and control interventions . The Tanzania Tobacco Act of 2003 and its regulations of 2014 provide a foundation for Tobacco Control Policy.

Tanzania has an estimated population of 54.2 million people (2018 Population projections) and it produces a large amount of tobacco products for export and for internal use. GATS Tanzania 2018 showed that there is a large proportion of passive smokers in the country (at workplaces 32.9% and at home 13.8%). Passive smoking is one of the major public health concerns in the country, therefore, establishing baseline information on key tobacco control indicators is critical to prevent and reduce tobacco use.

Click to Read the 2018 Tanzania Global Adult Tobacco Survey Report