The Department of Health is set to hold a smoking cessation contest nationwide to promote and support smoking cessation and empower smoker to break free from tobacco addiction and improve their health.

Titled "Stop and Gain: A Quit and Win Tobacco Cessation Campaign," the contest is initiated by the DOH, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Action on Smoking and Health Philippines.

"The primary objective of the Stop and Gain contest is to highlight and celebrate the achievements of successful smoking cessation across the Philippines," the DOH said.

"Additionally, the contest seeks to serve as motivation for current smokers to embark on their journey toward quitting smoking and vaping by emphasizing the message that there are more benefits associated with cessation," it added.

The DOH noted that the contest also aims to enhance public awareness regarding the accessibility of smoking cessation services and to encourage smokers and vapers to utilize these resources.

According to a study, there is an estimated 18 million adults aged 15 years and older in the Philippines who are tobacco product users.

This positions the Philippines as the 13th globally and the 4th in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region in terms of the number of tobacco products users.

Of tobacco users, 23 million or 90 percent were cigarette smokers.