YEREVAN, Armenia — From June 23 to 25, faculty members of the Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) at the American University of Armenia (AUA) contributed to the global discourse on tobacco control at the World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCTC 2025), held in Dublin, Ireland.
Organized by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, WCTC 2025 brought together 1,300 delegates from 100 countries around the world, including researchers, advocates, and policymakers, to tackle tobacco industry interference and promote evidence-based public health policies. The conference theme focused on stopping tobacco industry tactics and their influence in policymaking.
The CHS team’s visual abstract, titled “Tobacco Industry Interference with Point-of-Sale Bans in Armenia,” was selected for poster display under the track “Stopping Tobacco Industry Tactics and Its Interference in Policy Making.” Co-authored by Zhanna Sargsyan, M.S. (MPH ’18), Varduhi Hayrumyan, M.S. (MPH ’16), and Varduhi Petrosyan, M.S., Ph.D., the study was presented as a digital poster during the visual abstract exhibition.
Despite Armenia’s comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and promotion at points of sale (POS), the study revealed concerning evidence of widespread industry interference. Through structured observations at 132 POSs across Yerevan and the Kotayk region in 2024, the study team found high availability of tobacco and nicotine products, strategic placement near youth-attracting items, such as candy and snacks, illuminated advertising, and various forms of promotion, including discounts and loyalty programs. Additionally, over 65% of observed POSs lacked signage banning sales to minors, indicating weak enforcement of age restrictions. These findings underscore the need for stronger regulatory enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and policy-level accountability to mitigate the tobacco industry’s influence, particularly around schools and other youth-centered environments. The abstract has been published in the official supplement (Vol. 23, Supplement 1/2025) of the WCTC 2025 Abstract Book in the Tobacco Induced Diseases journal.
The research team continues to work actively on strengthening evidence-based tobacco control strategies in Armenia and remains committed to supporting national and regional efforts to protect youth and public health from industry tactics.
The abstract and poster have been produced with the help of a grant from Vital Strategies on behalf of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the positions of the donors. The presentation was made possible by AUA’s Professional Development Program in 2025.
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.