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Global Report Highlights Tobacco Use, Offers Countermeasures for Nations

Global Report Highlights Tobacco Use, Offers Countermeasures for Nations For the first time, a comprehensive report reveals how people in countries across the globe use tobacco and what efforts are being made in these countries to reduce the negative health effects of tobacco use. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008, which has been lauded by proponents of tobacco control efforts as a landmark step toward helping nations and their governments reduce tobacco's deadly toll (http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/). “The report clearly articulates the truly universal nature of the epidemic—the tobacco industry is everywhere,” said Judith McKay, MBChB, director of tobacco control programs at the World Lung Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in New York City. A new report from the World Health Organization details tobacco use across the globe, revealing that nearly two-thirds of the world's smokers live in 10 countries. The global analysis gives governments and other groups tools for implementing and monitoring efforts to discourage tobacco use in the years ahead. Global impact Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the WHO report includes information that was provided by 179 member states and is representative of more than 99% of the world's population. Data were collected by experts from both governmental and nongovernmental organizations in each country and, in the vast majority of cases, validated by governments as a fair representation of the state of tobacco control. The report finds that currently, 5 million tobacco-related deaths occur every year, a figure that will climb to 8 million a year by 2030 unless governments take significant action. The data reveal that nearly two-thirds of the world's tobacco smokers live in 10 countries: China (which alone accounts for approximately 30% of the world's smokers), India, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany, and Turkey. Of particular concern is the rising number of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The epidemic is shifting to these nations, and experts anticipate that about 80% of tobacco-related deaths will eventually occur in these countries. The reason for the shift is thought to be largely because of the tobacco industry's strategy to target young people and adults in the developing world. According to the report, as many as 100 million Chinese men currently younger than 30 years will die from tobacco use, and about a quarter of deaths among middle-aged men in India are caused by smoking. Although women in many countries have traditionally not used tobacco, the rise in tobacco use among young females in high-population countries “is one of the most ominous potential developments of the epidemic's growth,” stated the report. The report also noted that more than half of the world's population lives in countries with little or no information about the scope of tobacco use and the negative health effects associated with it. In addition to higher health care costs associated with tobacco-related illness, the net economic effect of tobacco is to decrease an economy's productive capacity through death and increased poverty. Moreover, many countries lack regulations and initiatives aimed at curbing smoking. About 40% of countries still allow smoking in hospitals and schools, only 5% of the world's population lives in countries with comprehensive national bans on tobacco advertising, and only 6% of the population lives in countries mandating pictorial warnings about tobacco's effects on human health on packaging of tobacco products. In addition, only 5% of the world's population lives in countries in which services to treat tobacco dependence are fully available. 6 strategies According to the report, only about 5% of the world's population is protected by any one of 5 leading tobacco control policies: taxation, advertising bans, public education, smoke-free places, and access to cessation support. Also, not a single country has implemented all key tobacco control measures at the highest level and with full enforcement. Many countries impose tobacco taxes, which is an effective strategy for discouraging use, but the report found that tobacco taxes could be significantly increased in nearly all countries. Raising tobacco taxes by 10% generally decreases tobacco use by 4% in high-income countries and by approximately 8% in low- and middle-income countries, and the money generated from taxes could be used to implement and enforce tobacco control efforts. But governments around the world currently collect 500 times more money in tobacco taxes each year than they spend on antitobacco efforts. The WHO report outlines a strategy to reduce tobacco use across the globe, a program called MPOWER (http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/facts_findings/en/index.html). “While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually every country needs to do more. These six strategies are within the reach of every country, rich or poor and, when combined as a package, they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic,” said Margaret Chan, MD, the WHO's director-general, in a statement at the time of the report's release. The 6 strategies of MPOWER are monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; protecting people from tobacco smoke; offering help to quit tobacco use; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and raising taxes on tobacco. “This package will create an enabling environment to help current tobacco users quit, protect people from second-hand smoke, and prevent young people from taking up the habit,” said Douglas Bettcher, MPH, MD, PhD, director of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative. According to McKay, wide dissemination of the report is needed so that it gets into the hands of policy makers and policy influencers in as many countries as possible. Advocates of tobacco control efforts are urging unanimous ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a tobacco control treaty adopted by member countries of the WHO (http://www.who.int/tobacco/framework/en/). In addition, “governments should act now, especially on taxation,” said McKay. “Of all the recommended policies in the MPOWER package, taxation is the most effective.” WHO is scaling up its ability to help nations put the MPOWER strategies in place. Through the Bloomberg Initiative—a $125 million global tobacco control effort by New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg—the WHO, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the World Lung Foundation are working together to coordinate tobacco control activities and provide grants to country-level organizations to combat the tobacco epidemic. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png JAMA American Medical Association

Global Report Highlights Tobacco Use, Offers Countermeasures for Nations

JAMA , Volume 299 (13) – Apr 2, 2008

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Publisher
American Medical Association
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN
0098-7484
eISSN
1538-3598
DOI
10.1001/jama.299.13.1531
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

For the first time, a comprehensive report reveals how people in countries across the globe use tobacco and what efforts are being made in these countries to reduce the negative health effects of tobacco use. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008, which has been lauded by proponents of tobacco control efforts as a landmark step toward helping nations and their governments reduce tobacco's deadly toll (http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/). “The report clearly articulates the truly universal nature of the epidemic—the tobacco industry is everywhere,” said Judith McKay, MBChB, director of tobacco control programs at the World Lung Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in New York City. A new report from the World Health Organization details tobacco use across the globe, revealing that nearly two-thirds of the world's smokers live in 10 countries. The global analysis gives governments and other groups tools for implementing and monitoring efforts to discourage tobacco use in the years ahead. Global impact Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the WHO report includes information that was provided by 179 member states and is representative of more than 99% of the world's population. Data were collected by experts from both governmental and nongovernmental organizations in each country and, in the vast majority of cases, validated by governments as a fair representation of the state of tobacco control. The report finds that currently, 5 million tobacco-related deaths occur every year, a figure that will climb to 8 million a year by 2030 unless governments take significant action. The data reveal that nearly two-thirds of the world's tobacco smokers live in 10 countries: China (which alone accounts for approximately 30% of the world's smokers), India, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany, and Turkey. Of particular concern is the rising number of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The epidemic is shifting to these nations, and experts anticipate that about 80% of tobacco-related deaths will eventually occur in these countries. The reason for the shift is thought to be largely because of the tobacco industry's strategy to target young people and adults in the developing world. According to the report, as many as 100 million Chinese men currently younger than 30 years will die from tobacco use, and about a quarter of deaths among middle-aged men in India are caused by smoking. Although women in many countries have traditionally not used tobacco, the rise in tobacco use among young females in high-population countries “is one of the most ominous potential developments of the epidemic's growth,” stated the report. The report also noted that more than half of the world's population lives in countries with little or no information about the scope of tobacco use and the negative health effects associated with it. In addition to higher health care costs associated with tobacco-related illness, the net economic effect of tobacco is to decrease an economy's productive capacity through death and increased poverty. Moreover, many countries lack regulations and initiatives aimed at curbing smoking. About 40% of countries still allow smoking in hospitals and schools, only 5% of the world's population lives in countries with comprehensive national bans on tobacco advertising, and only 6% of the population lives in countries mandating pictorial warnings about tobacco's effects on human health on packaging of tobacco products. In addition, only 5% of the world's population lives in countries in which services to treat tobacco dependence are fully available. 6 strategies According to the report, only about 5% of the world's population is protected by any one of 5 leading tobacco control policies: taxation, advertising bans, public education, smoke-free places, and access to cessation support. Also, not a single country has implemented all key tobacco control measures at the highest level and with full enforcement. Many countries impose tobacco taxes, which is an effective strategy for discouraging use, but the report found that tobacco taxes could be significantly increased in nearly all countries. Raising tobacco taxes by 10% generally decreases tobacco use by 4% in high-income countries and by approximately 8% in low- and middle-income countries, and the money generated from taxes could be used to implement and enforce tobacco control efforts. But governments around the world currently collect 500 times more money in tobacco taxes each year than they spend on antitobacco efforts. The WHO report outlines a strategy to reduce tobacco use across the globe, a program called MPOWER (http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/facts_findings/en/index.html). “While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually every country needs to do more. These six strategies are within the reach of every country, rich or poor and, when combined as a package, they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic,” said Margaret Chan, MD, the WHO's director-general, in a statement at the time of the report's release. The 6 strategies of MPOWER are monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; protecting people from tobacco smoke; offering help to quit tobacco use; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and raising taxes on tobacco. “This package will create an enabling environment to help current tobacco users quit, protect people from second-hand smoke, and prevent young people from taking up the habit,” said Douglas Bettcher, MPH, MD, PhD, director of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative. According to McKay, wide dissemination of the report is needed so that it gets into the hands of policy makers and policy influencers in as many countries as possible. Advocates of tobacco control efforts are urging unanimous ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a tobacco control treaty adopted by member countries of the WHO (http://www.who.int/tobacco/framework/en/). In addition, “governments should act now, especially on taxation,” said McKay. “Of all the recommended policies in the MPOWER package, taxation is the most effective.” WHO is scaling up its ability to help nations put the MPOWER strategies in place. Through the Bloomberg Initiative—a $125 million global tobacco control effort by New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg—the WHO, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the World Lung Foundation are working together to coordinate tobacco control activities and provide grants to country-level organizations to combat the tobacco epidemic.

Journal

JAMAAmerican Medical Association

Published: Apr 2, 2008

Keywords: tobacco,tobacco use

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