Mobilizing for Health: A Case Study of Kazakhstan’s Vaping Ban Advocacy Campaign

Abstract

This article focuses on an advocacy campaign for a complete ban on vaping in Kazakhstan led by the Smokefree Kazakhstan Coalition. Initiated in 2021, the campaign aimed to address the growing public health concerns about vaping among adolescents, which was reflected in a sharp increase in vape use among young people—from 1.6% in 2014 to 5.8% in 2022. Despite facing strong opposition from the vaping industry and political lobbyists, the Coalition gained support from key political figures, public health leaders, and NGOs. Over 32 months, the campaign achieved several key milestones, including the inclusion of criminal liabilities for those involved in the vaping industry, and, in 2024, it eventually joined a number of countries such as Thailand, Qatar, Japan, Singapore, and India in approving a vaping ban. The advocacy efforts relied on public engagement, social media, and coordinated civil society mobilization—including petitions, public meetings, awareness campaigns, and coalition-building among NGOs and health advocacy groups—to overcome industry resistance toward official vaping market ban approvals. This article uses the case study approach with the Power Prism framework to describe and evaluate the advocacy campaign’s strategic plan, its political challenges, and the significant impact of public health advocacy in shaping national health policy. The significance of the article lies in the success of the vaping ban in the Kazakhstani context, which may serve as a model for other countries facing similar public health issues, political instability, and industry resistance.