In 2008, the Iraqi Ministry of Health conducted the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Baghdad. GYTS is a school-based survey of students aged 13–15 years. According to the report, smoking shisha appears to be a preferred form of tobacco use for young people. This is a concern because the harmful health effects of shisha can exceed those of cigarette smoking. Results found that boys were 97 percent more likely to have ever smoked shisha than to have ever smoked cigarettes (14.6 percent versus 7.4 percent, respectively); whereas girls were 51 percent more likely to have ever smoked shisha. Current use of shisha was two-fold greater than cigarette smoking for boys (6.7 percent versus 3.3 percent) and girls (5.0 percent versus 2.7 percent). Overall, 13.0 percent of never smokers indicated they might initiate cigarette smoking in the next year.

The results of the survey also showed that the likely initiation of cigarette smoking by girls who have never smoked cigarettes (11.8 percent) is significantly higher than the current cigarette smoking rate for girls (2.7 percent) and may result in an increase in the future burden of disease caused by tobacco use in Iraq.

“Tobacco is one of the most serious public health problems and the single preventable cause of death , yet it claims the lives of 5.4 million people every year. It is expected to kill 10 millions a year by 2030 if consumption rates remains as high and no serious action is taken” said Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Future declines in adolescent tobacco use in Iraq could be enhanced by fully implementing tobacco prevention and cessation programs, including legislation that eliminates pro-tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and exposure to secondhand smoke in all indoor workplaces.

“This survey is one of the efforts exerted by Iraq state and the health authorities to control tobacco. Last year, the tobacco control efforts were crowned by the endorsement of the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC)by the Iraqi Parliament” Said Dr Naeema El-Gaseer, WHO representative in Iraq.