[TOBACCO CONSUMPTION DYNAMICS BEFORE AND AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC].

Purpose - to study Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) indicators on tobacco consumption and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on them.

Materials and methods: In 2022, 2,453 residents were surveyed (men - 1137, women - 1316) aged from 15 to 86 years (average age - 43,0 ± 16,4 years). There were 58,9% city dwellers, 41,1% villagers. The GATS technique was used. The results of the 2022 survey were compared with 2019. Mathematical and statistical processing included descriptive statistics and calculation of the χ2 distribution.

Results: Over the past three years, the share of smokers has not changed (19,0% in 2022 vs 19,9% in 2019). At the same time, there were significantly more women smoking (7,4% vs 5,4%), and fewer men smoking (32,4% vs 36,7%). The number of smokers has significantly increased in the age group 65+, among women, as well as among persons aged 45-64 years. In 2022, smokers made fewer attempts to quit smoking. The number of users of electronic nicotine delivery systems increased (7.1% vs 5.4%), especially among men (9.5% vs 6.0%); a noticeable increase was observed in the 45-64 age group (2.8% vs 0.9%).

Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of smokers of both sexes in the older age group has increased significantly. The number of users of electronic nicotine delivery systems has increased. Many indicators of assistance to the population in quitting tobacco use and prevention of smoking among the adult population have worsened.