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

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.

scholarly journals Contribution and Influence of the Civil Society for the New Health Warning Label of Tobacco Products in Brazil

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 134s-134s
Author(s):  
M. Coutinho Marques de Pinho ◽  
C. Abreu Perez ◽  
C. Galhardo Ferreira Vianna
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Public Consultation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Warning Label ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Health Warning ◽  
The World

Background and context: In April 2017, National Agency for Health Surveillance (Anvisa) launched a public consultation for the revision of Resolution Number 335/2003, on health warning labels. Aim: A group of representatives from civil society and tobacco control advocates in Brazil met in person and virtually to make contributions to the Anvisa´s proposal for new health warning label for tobacco products packages, considering the civil rights for participation and collaboration to Brazilian policies provided by public consultation. Strategy/Tactics: The advocates and researches consulted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization and its Guideline for Article 11 (Packaging and Labeling of Tobacco Products) implementation adopted in 2008 based on scientific studies and successful experiences in other countries. In addition, international researchers and representatives of international institutions were also consulted to collect successful examples of health warnings in the world. Program/Policy process: In October 2017, the Anvisa Board of Directors at a public ordinary meeting approved the new health warnings and in December of the same year, published the new resolution about it. Outcomes: In a comparative analysis, even if all the recommendations made in the CP have not been complied with, the influence of the contributions of the group of tobacco control advocates to the final version of the warnings is evident. The main contributions considered by Anvisa were: 1) to increase the effectiveness of the health warnings using colored images instead of black and white images, 2) the use of yellow in the upper and lower tiers was also one of the points suggested by the group, and 3) the concept proposed by the group for side warnings was fully complied. What was learned: Civil society participation for the agency´s public policy implementation process is essential and has been possible through the regulatory agenda, public consultations and regular public meetings. However, as is expected, the regulated sector has been quite active. The group recognizes the importance of the Anvisa measure in proposing new health warnings, however, significant recommendations have not been adopted and it may interfere with the goals of the measure. Anvisa´s strategy of allowing the social participation is essential, in accordance with Universal Health System principles and must be maintained. Regarding to the next health warnings and messages on packages of tobacco products, it would be greater to consider higher frequency of updating the images and recover the scientific process of development of the 3rd round of health warnings labels coordinated by the National Institute of Cancer in 2007/2008.

Global Health Warnings on Tobacco Packaging: Evidence from the Canadian Experiment

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Gospodinov ◽  
Ian J. Irvine
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Micro Data ◽  
World Health Assembly ◽  
The World ◽  
Tobacco Packaging

Abstract New health warnings on tobacco packaging in Canada became mandatory in January 2001. As of that time producers were required to print large-font warning text and graphic images describing the health consequences of using tobacco. This study uses micro data from two waves of Health Canada's Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Surveys bordering the legislation to investigate if the introduction of the warnings had any significant impacts on smokers. The recently drafted Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, under the sponsorship of the World Health Assembly, assigns a central role for this type of message. Our findings indicate that the warnings have not had a discernible impact on smoking prevalence. The evidence of their impact on quantity smoked is positive, though only at a relatively low level of confidence.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Text-Only Cigarette Health Warnings in Japan: Findings from the 2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Japan Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Chung-Hall ◽  
Geoffrey T. Fong ◽  
Gang Meng ◽  
Mi Yan ◽  
Takahiro Tabuchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Smoking Initiation ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Cigarette Smokers ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Pictorial Warnings

Health warnings are an effective strategy for communicating the health harms of smoking, encouraging quitting, and preventing smoking initiation. This study examines the effectiveness of existing text-only health warnings, identifies key predictors of warning effectiveness, and assesses support for pictorial warnings in Japan. Data are from the 2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Japan Survey, a cohort survey of adult cigarette smokers (n = 3306), dual users of cigarettes and heated tobacco products (n = 555), and non-cigarette smokers (n = 823). Weighted multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess predictors of warning effectiveness and support for pictorial warnings. Overall, 15.6% of respondents noticed warnings, and 7.9% read or looked closely at warnings. Overall, 10.3% of smokers and dual users said the warnings stopped them from having a cigarette, and 7.2% avoided warnings. Overall, 27.5% of respondents said the warnings made them think about health risks of smoking, but only 2.7% of smokers and dual users said the warnings made them more likely to quit. Overall, 57.6% of respondents supported pictorial warnings. The weak effectiveness of Japan’s text-only warnings is consistent with that in other countries with similar warnings. There is majority support for pictorial warnings in Japan, although the level of support is lower than in other countries.

Plainly Constitutional: The Upholding of Plain Tobacco Packaging by the High Court of Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 361-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Liberman
Keyword(s):  
Medical Association ◽  
Tobacco Company ◽  
Ordinary Sense ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
High Court ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
The World ◽  
High Court Of Australia ◽  
Tobacco Packaging

In November 2011, Australia became the first country in the world to legislate for “plain packaging” of tobacco products. As of December 1, 2012, the packaging of tobacco products sold in Australia must be a standard, drab dark brown color; and the printing of tobacco company logos, brand imagery, colors, or promotional text on that packaging and on individual tobacco products is prohibited. While the Australian scheme is described as “plain packaging,” tobacco packaging is required to be far from “plain” in the ordinary sense of the word. The scheme requires large health warnings composed of graphics, warning statements and explanatory messages, and information messages.Plain packaging of tobacco products—which has also been called “generic packaging” or “standardized packaging”—is not a new idea. It was proposed as far back as June 1986, when the Canadian Medical Association agreed to a motion in favor of its adoption.

The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to the Who Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 365-396
Author(s):  
Gian Luca Burci
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
World Health ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted by consensus, at its fifth session held in Seoul from November 12 to 17, 2012, the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. This instrument is the first protocol to be adopted within the framework of the FCTC and is open to participation by parties to the FCTC.

Tobacco Control and Beyond: The Broader Implications of United States—Clove Cigarettes for Non-Communicable Diseases

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 265-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benn McGrady ◽  
Alexandra Jones
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Font Size ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Tobacco Packaging ◽  
Non Communicable Disease

As implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) accelerates and states seek to address risk factors for non-communicable disease more broadly, tension has increased between the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and public health. For example, Indonesia recently brought a successful claim against a U.S. law that prohibits cigarettes with a characterizing flavor other than menthol or tobacco. Indonesia succeeded in arguing that the regulation discriminates against clove-flavored cigarettes of Indonesian origin in favor of menthol-flavored cigarettes of U.S. origin.Also in the WTO context, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Ukraine have challenged an Australian law prohibiting the presence of branding on tobacco packaging other than product and variant names in a standardized location, font size, and style. This regulation, commonly referred to as “plain packaging,” is the first of its kind and may represent a turning point in the regulation of tobacco packaging.

scholarly journals Quitline Information Included on Cigarette Packaging: An Assessment of Country Adherence to WHO FCTC Guidelines, 2007 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12193
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Seitz ◽  
Kenneth D. Ward ◽  
Zubair Kabir
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Income Level ◽  
High Income ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World

The purpose of this study is to evaluate country adherence to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) guidelines in terms of including quitline information on cigarette packaging. Data were gathered from the WHO’s Global Health Observatory database. The study included countries that were signatories to the FCTC, had a toll-free quitline, and required health warnings on cigarette packaging. Countries were then classified by income level according to the World Bank. From 2007 to 2018, the number of countries that established a quitline increased from 34 to 60. During the same timeframe among those countries, the number of countries that included information about the quitline on cigarette packaging increased from 5 to 37, with a larger proportion (79%) of high-income countries promoting their quitlines on cigarette packaging compared to middle-income (45%) countries. Although there was an increase in adherence to the WHO FCTC guidelines, there is still a need for several countries to include quitline information on cigarette packaging.

scholarly journals The effects of tobacco control policies on global smoking prevalence

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Luisa S. Flor ◽  
Marissa B. Reitsma ◽  
Vinay Gupta ◽  
Marie Ng ◽  
Emmanuela Gakidou
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
World Health ◽  
Smoking Bans ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Control Policies ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
The World ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic

AbstractSubstantial global effort has been devoted to curtailing the tobacco epidemic over the past two decades, especially after the adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control1 by the World Health Organization in 2003. In 2015, in recognition of the burden resulting from tobacco use, strengthened tobacco control was included as a global development target in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development2. Here we show that comprehensive tobacco control policies—including smoking bans, health warnings, advertising bans and tobacco taxes—are effective in reducing smoking prevalence; amplified positive effects are seen when these policies are implemented simultaneously within a given country. We find that if all 155 countries included in our counterfactual analysis had adopted smoking bans, health warnings and advertising bans at the strictest level and raised cigarette prices to at least 7.73 international dollars in 2009, there would have been about 100 million fewer smokers in the world in 2017. These findings highlight the urgent need for countries to move toward an accelerated implementation of a set of strong tobacco control practices, thus curbing the burden of smoking-attributable diseases and deaths.

scholarly journals Pictorial health warnings and wear-out effects: evidence from a web experiment in 10 European countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (e1) ◽  
pp. e71-e76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Woelbert ◽  
Béatrice d’Hombres
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Random Order ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Pictorial Warnings ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
Web Experiment ◽  
Over Time

ObjectiveThis paper examines whether there are possible wear-out effects associated with repeated exposure to pictorial health warnings on tobacco products. Wear-out effects can be general, that is, people get used to the presence of pictorial warnings in general, or specific to the content of the warnings (ie, the images used). Distinguishing between these two types of wear-out is important for understanding how to maintain the effectiveness of health warnings over time.MethodsThis study used data from two surveys carried out in 10 European countries. Participants (n=12 600) were exposed in a random order to a series of health warnings and assessed the salience of the warnings as well as their effects on smoking intentions. Using these data and country variations in health warning legislation, we tested whether warning pictures are subject to general and/or specific wear-out effects.ResultsResponses were stronger to combined text+picture warnings than to text-only warnings. This effect was lower for smokers living in countries where combined warnings were already in place at the time of the data collection, compared with smokers residing in countries where text-only warnings were in use. This result, observed for combined warnings with new pictures, is in line with the presence of general wear-out effects. Combined warnings with an unknown pictorial content were more effective than those including pictorial warnings already in use, suggesting that specific wear-out effects are also at play.ConclusionsThese findings strengthen the evidence that pictorial health warnings are an effective tool for tobacco control policies and suggest that, even in the presence of a general wear-out effect among smokers, periodically introducing new pictures helps to maintain warning effectiveness over time.

Effectiveness of Text versus Pictorial Health Warning Labels and Predictors of Support for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products within the European Union

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel T. Agaku ◽  
Filippos T. Filippidis ◽  
Constantine I. Vardavas
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Tobacco Product ◽  
The Self ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Warning Labels ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Health Warning ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
Pictorial Warnings

Background: Tobacco product warning labels are a key health communication medium with plain packaging noted as the next step in the evolution of tobacco packaging. We assessed the self-reported impact of text versus pictorial health warnings and the determinants of support for plain packaging of tobacco products in the European Union (EU). Methods: The Special Eurobarometer 385 survey was analyzed for 26,566 adults from 27 EU countries in 2012. The self-reported impact of warning labels (text or pictorial) and determinants of EU-wide support for plain packaging were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Current smokers in countries where cigarette pictorial warnings were implemented had higher odds of reporting that health warning labels had any effect on their smoking behavior (making a quit attempt or reducing number of cigarettes smoked per day) compared to respondents in countries with text-only warning labels (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 1.10-1.56). Population support for plain packaging of tobacco packs was higher in countries where cigarette pictorial warnings already existed (aOR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.07-1.28). Conclusions: These findings indicate that the implementation of pictorial warnings at an EU level may have a positive behavioral impact among smokers and pave the way for population support for plain packaging in the EU.

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