Monitoring compliance with Senegal’s tobacco products packaging and labelling requirements 6 months after implementation of the law

IntroductionAs of December 2021, 22 countries and one jurisdiction in WHO African Region (AFRO) have adopted pictorial health warning labels on tobacco packaging, but only 13 have implemented them. In 2014, Senegal enacted a comprehensive tobacco control law, which requires strong provisions on tobacco packaging and labelling. The objective of this study was to assess the level of compliance with these provisions in Senegal 6 months after implementation.MethodsData collection took place in Senegal’s capital city of Dakar across 12 districts in February 2018, following the Tobacco Pack Surveillance System Field Protocol developed by the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Unique tobacco packs were purchased from a total of 48 tobacco vendors, and compliance with new packaging and labelling provisions was assessed.ResultsIn total, seven unique cigarette packs were confirmed to be legally available for sale in Dakar, Senegal. All packs complied with all health warning provisions (type, size, location, language and quitline information) as well as bans on quantitative emissions yields. However, no pack complied with the descriptive constituents and emissions statement required on the lateral side, and four of the seven packs violated the ban on misleading brand descriptors.ConclusionsAFRO countries have made substantial progress in adopting comprehensive tobacco control laws that bring them closer into alignment with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This study found areas of effective implementation of FCTC recommended packaging and labelling requirements, as well as areas in need of stronger enforcement.

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Country Participation in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Health Warnings Database

Tobacco Use Insights ◽

10.1177/1179173x211064214 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 1179173X2110642

Author(s):

Christopher M. Seitz ◽

Kenneth D. Ward ◽

Zubair Kabir

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

World Health ◽

Warning Labels ◽

Health Warnings ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Health Warning ◽

Pictorial Warnings ◽

The World ◽

Alternative Tobacco Products ◽

Tobacco Packaging

Background The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Health Warnings Database is an online, publicly available resource created for countries to upload and share pictorial health warnings for tobacco packaging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which the database is used by countries for the sharing of pictorial warnings. Methods The study’s sample included parties to the FCTC who required graphic health warning labels on cigarette packaging from. Those countries were categorized as having a low, middle, and high Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). The Health Warnings Database was then analyzed for those countries’ unique pictorial images, as well as the number of pictorials that were shared between countries. Results Of the 110 countries that required pictorial warnings on cigarette packaging, only 53 (48%) voluntarily contributed pictorials to the database, with most of those (53%) being high SDI-level countries. There were 342 unique pictorials on the database, with 62 images posted by seven countries that were used by 13 other countries. Conclusion While sharing was evident from the database, there remains a need for more countries to upload the pictorials to the database. There is also a need to expand the database to include alternative tobacco products, such as waterpipe tobacco and e-cigarettes.

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Compliance of Oral Snuff (Naswar) Packaging and Sales Practices with National Tobacco Control Laws and the Relevant Articles of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntaa144 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 2224-2230

Author(s):

Fayaz Ahmad ◽

Zohaib Khan ◽

Kamran Siddiqi ◽

Muhammad Naseem Khan ◽

Melanie Boeckman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

General Point ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Control Laws ◽

Potential Implication ◽

Health Warning ◽

Almost All

Abstract Introduction Smokeless tobacco (SLT) is a significant contributor to tobacco-related harm in Pakistan but its control has lags behind that of combustible tobacco. We assessed the compliance of Naswar’s (a widely used SLT product in the Southeast Asia) packaging and sales practices with the national legislations and relevant articles of the WHO framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC). Aims and Methods A cross-sectional observational audit was conducted in three districts of Pakistan. We recruited 286 general point of sale (GPOS) and exclusive Naswar sellers (ENS) through a multistage cluster sampling strategy. Data were gathered on packaging and labeling practices of Naswar and advertisement and promotion practices inside and outside the shops. Statistical tests for association between the dependent variable-advertisement practices, and independent variables-area and vendor types were conducted. Results We analyzed 133 and 49 unique Naswar products sold in 229 GPOS and by 57 ENS, respectively. None of the local products had any written or pictorial health warning. More than half of retailers used one or two methods of advertising Naswar inside the shops while only 9% advertised outside the shops. ENS were more likely to be noncompliant with tobacco advertisement and promotion compared with GPOS. Conclusions The study presents first insights on the compliance of Naswar packaging and sale practices with local regulations and WHO FCTC provisions in Pakistan. Almost all products were on display in the shops and none of the local products had any health warning or contents disclosure on the packages. Implications Naswar is a form of SLT used extensively in Pakistan, Central Asia, and Pashtun populations across the globe. This study provides an important insight into the Naswar retail environment in a geographical setting where the use of Naswar is endemic. The study brings to fore previously unreported issues like an urban–rural disparity, and differences between exclusive and nonENS, with regards to Naswar advertisement and promotion. These findings have potential implication on the implementation of tobacco control retail policies. The lack of health warnings and free display of Naswar brands call for alignment of tobacco control efforts with the FCTC.

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Defending strong tobacco packaging and labelling regulations in Uruguay: transnational tobacco control network versus Philip Morris International

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-053690 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 185-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Eric Crosbie ◽

Particia Sosa ◽

Stanton A Glantz

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Tobacco Control ◽

International Health ◽

Political Support ◽

Control Network ◽

Local Public Health ◽

News Sources ◽

Philip Morris ◽

Tobacco Packaging ◽

Packaging And Labelling

ObjectiveDescribe the process of enacting and defending strong tobacco packaging and labelling regulations in Uruguay amid Philip Morris International’s (PMI) legal threats and challenges.MethodsTriangulated government legislation, news sources and interviews with policy-makers and health advocates in Uruguay.ResultsIn 2008 and 2009, the Uruguayan government enacted at the time the world’s largest pictorial health warning labels (80% of front and back of package) and prohibited different packaging or presentations for cigarettes sold under a given brand. PMI threatened to sue Uruguay in international courts if these policies were implemented. The Vazquez administration maintained the regulations, but a week prior to President Vazquez’s successor, President Mujica, took office on 1 March 2010 PMI announced its intention to file an investment arbitration dispute against Uruguay in the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. Initially, the Mujica administration announced it would weaken the regulations to avoid litigation. In response, local public health groups in Uruguay enlisted former President Vazquez and international health groups and served as brokers to develop a collaboration with the Mujica administration to defend the regulations. This united front between the Uruguayan government and the transnational tobacco control network paid off when Uruguay defeated PMI’s investment dispute in July 2016.ConclusionTo replicate Uruguay’s success, other countries need to recognise that strong political support, an actively engaged local civil society and financial and technical support are important factors in overcoming tobacco industry’s legal threats to defend strong public health regulations.

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Better Understanding Youth Attitudes towards Tobacco Control Laws

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e628622012-557 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

T. Williams ◽

S. Pokorny ◽

L. Jason

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Control Laws ◽

Youth Attitudes

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Tobacco Control Laws and Pediatric Asthma

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2017-1026p ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 141 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. S130-S136 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jonathan Hatoun ◽

Kendra Davis-Plourde ◽

Brian Penti ◽

Howard Cabral ◽

Lewis Kazis

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Pediatric Asthma ◽

Control Laws

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Is Consumer Response to Plain/Standardised Tobacco Packaging Consistent with Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Guidelines? A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0075919 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. e75919 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Martine Stead ◽

Crawford Moodie ◽

Kathryn Angus ◽

Linda Bauld ◽

Ann McNeill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Tobacco Control ◽

Consumer Response ◽

Quantitative Studies ◽

Tobacco Packaging

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Exposure to and perceptions of health warning labels on nicotine vaping products: findings from the 2016 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey

Addiction ◽

10.1111/add.14550 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 114 (S1) ◽

pp. 134-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Máirtín S. McDermott ◽

Grace Li ◽

Ann McNeill ◽

David Hammond ◽

James F. Thrasher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Warning Labels ◽

Health Warning

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Assessment of tobacco imagery and compliance with tobacco-free rules in popular Indian films

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054613 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 119-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Muralidhar M Kulkarni ◽

Veena Ganesh Kamath ◽

Jo Cranwell ◽

John Britton ◽

Gaurang P Nazar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Tobacco Use ◽

National Language ◽

Control Laws ◽

Free Film ◽

Popular Films ◽

Box Office ◽

National Languages ◽

Regional Languages ◽

Made In

BackgroundExposure to smoking in films causes smoking uptake among adolescents. Investigation of the extent to which tobacco imagery appears, or tobacco control laws are complied with in Indian films is limited, and especially so for films in regional languages. This study presents an analysis of tobacco content and compliance with tobacco control laws in popular films in several languages from the Karnataka state of India.MethodsWe used 5 min interval coding to measure actual tobacco use, implied tobacco use, tobacco paraphernalia and tobacco branding in the top 10 films identified from national box office ratings and regional distributor reports in Karnataka in 2015 and 2016. We also assessed compliance with tobacco-free film rules in India.FindingsA total of 47 films, in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Tulu languages were coded. Any tobacco imagery was observed in 72% of films, and actual tobacco use in 50%. Tobacco imagery was equally prevalent in films classified as suitable for universal viewing (U category) or at age 12 or more (U/A category) films; and significantly more common in films made in regional than national language (Hindi). None of the films were fully compliant with legal requirements on health spots, audiovisual disclaimers and health warnings.ConclusionsTobacco content was common in films classified as suitable for viewing by children, more among regional than national languages. Compliance with tobacco control laws was low. Stricter enforcement of tobacco-free film rules will protect children and adolescents from exposure to tobacco use on screen.

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Tobacco pack display at hospitality venues after the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging in New Zealand: a field observation study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027868 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. e027868

Author(s):

Johanna Nee-Nee ◽

Kirsty Sutherland ◽

Rebecca Holland ◽

Miriam Wilson ◽

Samuel Ackland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Field Observation ◽

Central City ◽

Capital City ◽

Front Face ◽

Observation Study ◽

Active Smoker ◽

Before And After ◽

Social Display ◽

Tobacco Packaging

ObjectivesIn March 2018, New Zealand (NZ) introduced standardised tobacco packaging that also featured new pictorial warnings, with implementation completed by early June 2018. We evaluated how the new packaging affected tobacco pack displays in outdoor areas of hospitality venues.DesignBefore-and-after descriptive field observation study.SettingCentral city area of the capital city of NZ (Wellington).ParticipantsObservations of people smoking and tobacco packs were made at 56 hospitality venues with outdoor tables (2422 separate venue observations), after the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging. Comparisons were made with a prior study in the same setting, from a time when tobacco packaging still featured brand imagery.ResultsA total of 8191 patrons, 1113 active smokers and 889 packs and pouches (522 of known orientation) were observed over 2422 venue observations. There were 0.80 visible packs per active smoker in 2018, compared with 1.26 in 2014 (risk ratio (RR)=0.64, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.67, p<0.0001). The new packs in 2018 were also less likely to be displayed face-up, compared with packs in 2014, which had brand imagery on the front face (RR=0.77, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.83, p<0.0001). Pack and pouch display (RR=3.09 in 2014 and 3.10 in 2018) and active smoking (RR=3.16 in 2014 compared with 3.32 in 2018) were higher at venues without children present, compared with venues with children present (this finding was consistent over time).ConclusionsThe reduction in the number of visible packs per active smoker, along with the reduction in face-up positioning of packs, suggests that smokers found the new standardised packs less attractive. Countries introducing standardised packaging should consider evaluating social display of tobacco packaging.

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