In an effort to strengthen its tobacco control efforts, Guyana has launched the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in schools nationwide, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education.
This nationally representative, school-based survey targets adolescents aged 13 to 15 and canvases behaviours, attitudes, exposure, and knowledge related to tobacco use. It also assesses how school policies address tobacco among staff and students. The instrument comprises 78 anonymous questions administered via scanning bubble sheets, while senior teachers answered a brief seven-question policy survey.
Conducted in 25 schools across Guyana’s nine administrative regions, the survey spanned both urban and rural areas, reaching more than 2,000 students. The last time Guyana deployed the GYTS was in 2015, making this round crucial for measuring trends over a decade.
According to health authorities, the collected data will inform evidence-based policies and programs aimed at reducing tobacco use among youth. Officials note that the results will help tailor interventions on smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, marketing influence, product access, and education.
Dr. Sheleiza Gopie, coordinator for the survey at the Ministry of Health’s Chronic Disease Unit, emphasised that consistency is key: PAHO/WHO pledged continuing technical and financial support to maintain quality and comparability in future survey cycles (typically every four to five years).
