BACKGROUND: In line with WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and MPOWER recommendations, Ukraine implemented EU tobacco control directives, including package labelling, public places smoking ban, and a ban on advertising and sale of flavoured tobacco products (FTPs), except heated TPs. Effective compliance with these regulations remains challenging due to inspection restrictions and industry manipulations.
METHODS: In 2024, a cross-sectional monitoring study was conducted in Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Kirovohrad, and Khmelnytskyi regions surveying 1198 facilities: public catering establishments, educational, healthcare, public transport stops, children`s playgrounds, train and bus stations, and points of sale (POS). Data were collected using standardized questionnaires, analysing warning signs, cases of smoking, and compliance with advertising laws.
RESULTS: Violations were recorded at all types of facilities, mostly at public transport stops and playgrounds: smoking was recorded in 34.5% and 29.3% of cases, respectively; no-smoking signs were absent (100%). At train and bus stations, 83.7% of signs did not meet the legal requirements; smoking was recorded in 56.7% of cases.
In public catering venues, smoking was recorded in 3.4% of cases indoors and in 56.9% of cases on-the-premise terraces. In educational and healthcare facilities, no-smoking signs were absent (79.4% and 73.1%) and smoking was observed within the perimeter (10.3% and 43%, respectively).
POS advertising of tobacco products was observed in 44.9% of cases, e-cigarettes in 13.7%, and heated TPs in 24.3%. FTPs, which are prohibited for sale in Ukraine, were sold in 65.7% of POS.
CONCLUSIONS: These data on violations were used to inform stakeholders, including authorities, and plan measures to strengthen control, including expanding smoke-free environments, placing no-smoking signs, banning tobacco advertising, and running educational campaigns. Using a uniform method and considering regional legislative markers allows accurate assessment of the problem's scale, making the proposed model a promising practice for monitoring compliance with tobacco control legislation in European region.