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The report aimed to review and assess the status of tobacco cessation services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Nearly 70% of people in the Region have legal access to nicotine-replacement therapy but for 77% of these people the costs of the treatment are not covered. Bupropion and Varenicline are legally available in 10 and 11 EMR countries respectively. Just under 50% of people in the Region have access to at least some cessation support in primary health care facilities. Around 32% of people have access to a national toll-free quit line. Costs for cessation services are fully covered in few EMR countries; however, cessation services in the Region must be improved. Member States should aim to increase the availability of, and financial support for, cessation treatments and support, which should be prioritized in primary health care facilities.

In recent years, there has been a clear increase in bottled water consumption globally, which has led to significant health and environmental concerns. This cross-sectional study aims to understand the attitude and preferences of university students in Qatar towards the use of bottled and tap drinking water using an online survey questionnaire (September and October 2022). The number of students who responded to the online survey was 14% (n = 688) of the student population, with a mean age of 22.23 ± 5.15 years from the different colleges. Overall, a higher fraction of students preferred plastic bottled water as the main drinking source on campus (n = 468; 68.02%), with a majority of them being females (72.08%). Out of the 468 students who preferred plastic bottled water, safety was the most important factor (43.80%), followed by convenience (16.88%) and taste (15.60%). Cost (15.17%), personal/family habits (5.13%), environmental concerns (2.14%), and mineral content (1.28%) were found to be the least important factors. Among the 45 students (6.54%) who preferred tap water over plastic bottled water, cost (46.67%) was the dominant factor, followed by convenience (20.00%), environmental concerns and safety (13.33% each), taste (4.44%), and personal/family habits (2.22%). Around 72% believed that plastic water bottles were more harmful to the environment, yet the greater majority still resorted to this source. The research study underscores safety as the major factor favoring bottled water over tap water. Further, it suggests that knowledge alone does not fully explain student behavior, implying other influential factors. This study recommends campaigns focus on attitude and behavior change and not solely emphasize knowledge. There is an immediate need to further educate students through environmental and health literacy programs on water consumption and quality. Enabling the population to understand the positive and negative aspects of their choices may be an effective remedy for ensuring a healthy population and healthy environment.