Smoking trend in the Egyptian drama in the holy month of Ramadan 2021–2025

Background Despite Egypt's commitment to WHO FCTC and implementation of MPOWER measures, smoking depictions in entertainment media continue to represent a major regulatory loophole. Ramadan television dramas, may normalize smoking behaviors and indirectly promote tobacco use. This study aims to investigate smoking trends in Egyptian Ramadan dramas 2021–2025. Methods This observational media-monitoring study analyzed all Egyptian television series broadcast during Ramadan seasons from 2021 to 2025. A data collection tool was used to record smoking-related variables; number of episodes including smoking, type of tobacco product, gender of actors who smoked, smoking context, venue, and pro- vs. anti-tobacco messaging. Quality assurance was ensured through unified tool, observers' training, random auditing and double data entry review. Results Smoking depictions were highly prevalent across all monitored seasons. The proportion of series containing tobacco scenes ranged from 96.3% in 2021 to 100% in 2022. The year 2025 recorded the highest proportion of episodes including tobacco use to the total number of episodes (58%) and a marked increase in unlit tobacco scenes (114 scenes). Smoking was predominantly portrayed indoors (73.1%−77.6%) and mainly involved male characters smoking individually. Commercial cigarettes remained the dominant product; however, newer tobacco products increased substantially in 2025 (9.8% vs. 2.9% in 2024). Smoking scenes frequently occurred in strategic focus and interpersonal/social dynamics contexts. Conclusion Smoking remains extensively normalized in Egyptian Ramadan dramas, with increasing visibility of emerging tobacco products and persistent pro-tobacco messaging. Stronger regulatory oversight and collaboration with media producers are urgently needed to align entertainment practices with national tobacco control objectives.