Awareness, Use Patterns, and Perceptions of Oral Nicotine Pouches Among Young Adults in Islamabad, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ijphn.v2i2.7832Keywords:
Oral Nicotine Pouches, Pakistan, Smokeless Tobacco Awareness, Tobacco Marketing, Uoung AdultsAbstract
Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) are tobacco-free products containing nicotine salts marketed as safer alternatives to traditional tobacco. Despite lacking verified safety data, these products have rapidly gained popularity among youth worldwide, with Pakistan emerging as the third-largest market within five years of introduction.This study aimed to assess the awareness, use patterns, and perceptions of oral nicotine pouches among young adults in Islamabad, Pakistan.A cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and August 2025 among 423 young adults (ages 18–25 years) in Islamabad. Data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed through social media and displayed in vape shops and university cafés. The questionnaire assessed demographics, awareness, behavioral measures, advertisement exposure, and perceptions regarding health risks and social acceptability.
Overall awareness was 96.2%, with significant gender disparity (males 99.1% vs. females 87.3%, p<0.001). Lifetime use was reported by 73.8% and current use by 67.1%. Males showed significantly higher use rates than females (lifetime: 88.8% vs. 26.5%; current: 81.6% vs. 21.6%, both p<0.001). Social media (40.2%) and TV/print media (43.5%) were primary awareness sources. Most participants (84.2%) noticed ONP advertisements in the past month. Despite 78.9% perceiving these products as harmful, 54.6% indicated likelihood of future use.
Conclusion: ONPs demonstrate alarmingly high awareness and use among young adults in Pakistan, particularly males. Aggressive marketing through social media appears to drive adoption despite health risk perceptions, highlighting urgent need for regulatory intervention.
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