2009 GATS survey in the Philippines

The 2009 Philippines Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was a nationally representative household survey of all non-institutionalized men and women aged 15 years and older. It was designed to produce internationally comparable data on tobacco use and tobacco control measures, using a standardized questionnaire, sample design, data collection, and management procedures.

Results of Survey

Prevalence of Tobacco Use: Overall, 28.3% (17.3 million) of individuals 15 years old and over in the Philippines currently smoke tobacco. Of this 17.3 million, 47.7 %( 14.6 million) are men, and 9.0% (2.8 million) women. Eighty percent of current smokers are daily smokers. Ninety eight percent (98%) of men and 83% of women smoke manufactured cigarettes. On the average, men smoke 11.3 cigarettes per day and women 7.0 cigarettes. The mean age of initiation of smoking among daily smokers was 17.4 years for men, and 19.1 years for women.

Second-hand smoke (SHS): Among the 61.3 million Filipino adults aged 15 and older, 48.8% (29.8 million) allow smoking in their home; and 39.6% were exposed to smoke in their home daily in the last 30 days. Among those who work indoors or in enclosed areas, 36.9% (6.1 million) were exposed to SHS at work; including 30.8% (3.7 million) non-smokers. For these workers, 65.4% of their worksites have policies “disallowing’ smoking in any closed area; yet 13.9% were exposed to SHS in the past 30 days. Exposure to SHS was 55.3% in public transport, 33.6% in restaurants, 25.5% in government buildings, and 7.6% in health care facilities.