The Solidarity Fund for Health (Fosalud) unveiled encouraging findings from the 2022 National Survey on Alcohol and Tobacco (ENAT), showcasing a reduction in tobacco consumption.
Notably, the prevalence of tobacco use among men decreased by 4.1 percentage points, now at 12.8% from the 2014 rate of 16.9%.
Director Carlos Núñez emphasized, “El Salvador continues to make progress in reducing tobacco use, aligned with SDG Goal 3. We’re positioned as a nation achieving the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s goals.”
Current tobacco use prevalence in all forms also dropped, declining from 8.8% in 2014 to 7.4% in 2022. Conversely, tobacco use among women increased slightly, rising from 2.2% in 2014 to 3.1% in 2022.
The survey covered 2,429 participants, both urban and rural residents.
Shifting to alcohol consumption, Dr. Núñez highlighted the need for targeted strategies to curb the upward trend. Alcohol consumption increased from 18% in 2014 to 19.5% in 2022. Among men, alcohol use declined to 27.4% from 28.8% in 2014. In contrast, alcohol use among women rose from 9.3% to 13.2%.
Fosalud’s survey underscores El Salvador’s commitment to healthier lifestyles and aligns with international goals.