A Systematic Review of Tobacco Industry Tactics in Southeast Asia: Lessons for Other Low- And MiddleIncome Regions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianna Gayle Herrera Amul ◽  
Grace Ping Ping Tan ◽  
Yvette van der Eijk
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Tobacco Marketing ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
Transnational Tobacco Companies

Background: Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) have a well-established presence in Southeast Asia and are now targeting other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially Africa. While the tobacco industry’s tactics in Southeast Asia are well documented, no study has systematically reviewed these tactics to inform tobacco control policies and movements in Africa, where the tobacco epidemic is spreading. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of articles that describe tobacco industry tactics in Southeast Asia, which includes Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, East Timor, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Brunei. After screening 512 articles, we gathered and analysed data from 134 articles which met our final inclusion criteria. Results: Tobacco transnationals gained dominance in Southeast Asian markets by positioning themselves as good corporate citizens with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, promoting the industry as a pillar of, and partner for, economic growth. Tobacco transnationals also formed strategic sectoral alliances and reinforced their political ties to delay the implementation of regulations and lobby for weaker tobacco control. Where governments resisted the transnationals’ attempts to enter a market, they used litigation and deceptive tactics including smuggling to pressure governments to open markets, and tarnished the reputation of public health organizations. The tobacco industry undermined tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) regulations through a broad range of direct and indirect marketing tactics. Conclusion: The experience of Southeast Asia with tobacco transnationals show that, beyond highlighting the public health benefits, underscoring the economic benefits of tobacco control might be a more compelling argument for governments in LMICs to prioritise tobacco control. Given the tobacco industry’s widespread use of litigation, LMICs need more legal support and resources to counter industry litigations. LMICs should also prioritize measures to protect health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry, and to close regulatory loopholes in tobacco marketing restrictions.

The Politics of Global Tobacco Control

2019 ◽  
pp. 659-683
Author(s):  
Kelley Lee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Transnational Tobacco Companies

This chapter examines the politics that has shifted tobacco control policy over the past three decades, from a long-neglected public health issue to a flagship global health issue supported by collective action by state and non-state actors. These efforts were spurred by the expansion of leading transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) into emerging markets, beginning in the 1960s, amid growing regulation and declining sales in traditional markets. By the 1990s tobacco use was steadily rising in the wake of the global expansion of the tobacco industry. The negotiation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) became the focus of intense political contestation between a powerful industry seeking to protect its commercial interests and an alarmed public health community. Since adoption of the FCTC in 2004, this political battle has shifted to its effective implementation in signatory states. This has included the eventual negotiation of the FCTC Protocol to Eliminate the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products and continued efforts by the tobacco industry to sustain sales through a variety of political strategies.

scholarly journals Tobacco control in Nepal during a time of government turmoil (1960–2006)

2019 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2019-055066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dharma Bhatta ◽  
Eric Crosbie ◽  
Stella Bialous ◽  
Stanton Glantz
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
Tobacco Company ◽  
Executive Orders ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Tobacco Tax ◽  
The Government ◽  
Transnational Tobacco Companies

BackgroundNepal was a monarchy, then a dictatorship, then a democracy. This paper reviews how tobacco control progressed in Nepal in the context of these changes in government from 1950 through 2006.MethodsWe triangulated tobacco industry documents, newspaper articles and key informant interviews.ResultsUntil 1983, the tobacco industry was mostly state owned. Transnational tobacco companies entered the Nepalese market through ventures with Surya Tobacco Company Private Limited (with Imperial Tobacco Company and British American Tobacco) in 1983 and Seti Cigarette Factory Limited (with Philip Morris International [PMI]) in 1985. Seminars and conferences on tobacco, celebrations of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) and efforts by WHO helped promote tobacco control in Nepal beginning in the 1970s. Tobacco advocates in Nepal pushed the government to issue executive orders banning smoking in public places in 1992 and tobacco advertising in electronic media in 1998, and to introduce a tobacco health tax in 1993. The tobacco industry lobbied against these measures and succeeded in keeping the tobacco tax low by challenging it in court. Tobacco advocates sued the government in 2003 and 2005, resulting in a June 2006 Supreme Court decision upholding the smoking and advertising bans and requiring the government to enact a comprehensive tobacco control law.ConclusionsPolitical instability, conflict, weak governance and the dictatorship significantly affect tobacco control activities in low-income and middle-income countries. Nepal shows that tobacco control advocates can take advantage of global events, such as WNTD, and use domestic litigation to maintain support from civil societies and to advocate for stronger tobacco control policies.

scholarly journals Tobacco-Free Investment: Harnessing the Power of the Finance Industry in Comprehensive Tobacco Control

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Bronwyn King ◽  
Clare Payne ◽  
Emily Stone
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
High Income ◽  
Global Finance ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Finance Industry ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Industrialised Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Leveraging the power of the global financial sector is emerging as a powerful, targeted strategy in tobacco control. The tobacco epidemic has been in decline in many high income nations since the 1960s but shows few signs of abating in low and middle income nations, with the tobacco industry offsetting regulatory restrictions and shrinking markets in industrialised countries by actively promoting tobacco use in poorer countries with weaker tobacco control. Lung cancer rates and tobacco-related mortality statistics reflect these changes with levels declining in high income countries but yet to peak in low and middle income countries. This contrast calls for new approaches that can cross borders, transcend the barriers between legislative domains and offer a truly international approach. Tobacco Free Portfolios works collaboratively with the global finance sector to inform, advance and prioritise tobacco-free investment. This initiative aims to encourage finance leaders to reflect on and reconsider commercial relationships with the tobacco industry, urging them to be part of the solution when it comes to addressing one of greatest global challenges of our time.

scholarly journals Needs of LMIC-based tobacco control advocates to counter tobacco industry policy interference: insights from semi-structured interviews

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e044710
Author(s):  
Britta Katharina Matthes ◽  
Lindsay Robertson ◽  
Anna B Gilmore
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
National Coalition ◽  
Industry Policy

IntroductionAdvocacy is vital for advancing tobacco control and there has been considerable investment in this area. While much is known about tobacco industry interference (TII), there is little research on advocates’ efforts in countering TII and what they need to succeed. We sought to examine this and focused on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where adoption and implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) tend to remain slower and weaker.MethodWe interviewed 22 advocates from eight LMICs with recent progress in a tobacco control policy. We explored participants’ experiences in countering TII, including the activities they undertake, challenges they encounter and how their efforts could be enhanced. We used Qualitative Description to analyse transcripts and validated findings through participant feedback.ResultsWe identified four main areas of countering activities: (1) generating and compiling data and evidence, (2) accessing policymakers and restricting industry access, (3) working with media and (4) engaging in a national coalition. Each area was linked to challenges, including (1) lack of data, (2) no/weak implementation of FCTC Article 5.3, (3) industry ties with media professionals and (4) advocates’ limited capacity. To address these challenges, participants suggested initiatives, including access to country-specific data, building advocates’ skills in compiling and using such data in research and monitoring, and in coalition development; others aiming at training journalists to question and investigate TII; and finally, diverse interventions intended to advance a whole-of-government approach to tobacco control. Structural changes to tobacco control funding and coordination were suggested to facilitate the proposed measures.ConclusionThis research highlights that following years of investment in tobacco control in LMICs, there is growing confidence in addressing TII. We identify straightforward initiatives that could strengthen such efforts. This research also underscores that more structural changes to enhance tobacco control capacity building should be considered.

scholarly journals Defending Comprehensive Tobacco Control Policy Implementation in Nepal From Tobacco Industry Interference (2011–2018)

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 2203-2212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dharma N Bhatta ◽  
Eric Crosbie ◽  
Stella A Bialous ◽  
Stanton Glantz
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Control Law ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
The Law ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Introduction Nepal passed a comprehensive tobacco control law in 2011. Tobacco control advocates successfully countered tobacco industry (TI) interference to force implementation of law. Aims and Methods Policy documents, news stories, and key informant interviews were triangulated and interpreted using the Policy Dystopia Model (PDM). Results The TI tried to block and weaken the law after Parliament passed it. Tobacco control advocates used litigation to force implementation of the law while the TI used litigation in an effort to block implementation. The TI argued that tobacco was socially and economically important, and used front groups to weaken the law. Tobacco control advocates mobilized the media, launched public awareness campaigns, educated the legislature, utilized lawsuits, and monitored TI activities to successfully counter TI opposition. Conclusions Both tobacco control advocates and the industry used the discursive and instrumental strategies described in the PDM. The model was helpful for understanding TI activities in Nepal and could be applied to other low- and middle-income countries. Civil society, with the help of international health groups, should continue to track TI interference and learn the lessons from other countries to proactively to counter it. Implications The PDM provides an effective framework to understand battles over implementation of a strong tobacco control law in Nepal, a low- and middle-income country. The TI applied discursive and instrumental strategies in Nepal in its efforts to weaken and delay the implementation of the law at every stage of implementation. It is important to continuously monitor TI activities and learn lessons from other countries, as the industry often employ the same strategies globally. Tobacco control advocates utilized domestic litigation, media advocacy, and engaged with legislators, politicians, and other stakeholders to implement a strong tobacco control law. Other low- and middle-income countries can adapt these lessons from Nepal to achieve effective implementation of their laws.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and the rise of social activism in Southeast Asia: a public health concern

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Clyde G Corpuz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract The current public health crisis has radically altered the social and civic involvement in Southeast Asia. Although the virus has shifted the landscape of engagement, it has not dampened the enthusiasm of the public. In 2020–2021, more people than ever seem to be paying attention and even getting involved in activism. Many dramatic events happened during the coronavirus crisis such as from protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, public activism around the environment, economic inequality, authoritarianism and human rights violations. In Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and just recently Myanmar. The journal has lately published about the ‘Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology’ and it has rightly expressed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended social distancing guidelines must be followed in a protest situation. In response to the situation of social activism in Southeast Asia, one must follow the CDC-recommended and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in the Region. Although protesting is an individual human right, one must also be cautious and be aware of the deadly virus since we are still in a pandemic and the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate.

scholarly journals Tobacco Control in Hospitals in Jordan: Policy Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Maha Alkaid Albqoor, RN, MPH, MSN, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Smoking Prevention ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
Effective Public Health

<p><em>Despite the concerns about very high rates of smoking in Jordanian population and the growing efforts to combat the tobacco epidemic, smoking at hospitals in Jordan and the poor complying with smoking prevention policies are important aspects of the problem. The paper examined the scope </em><em>and the progress </em><em>of smoking problem in Jordanian hospitals, </em><em>recognized public health policies on tobacco control </em><em>in hospitals in Jordan, and explored the obstacles in applying tobacco control policies in hospitals. The paper also proposed some recommendations for effective public health policies that regulate tobacco smoking in hospitals and other health care facilities in Jordan.</em></p>

scholarly journals Analyzing Big Tobacco’s global youth marketing strategies in Nigeria using the theory of triadic influence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ukoabasi Isip ◽  
John Robert Calvert
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
High School Principal ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Theory Of Triadic Influence ◽  
Youth Population ◽  
Transnational Tobacco Companies ◽  
Populous Country

Abstract Background Major transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) have identified Nigeria, the seventh most populous country in the world, as a market with a major revenue potential given its high youth population and growing gross domestic product (GDP). This research analyses tobacco industry-related strategies and activities targeting youth (aged 15 to 24 years) in Nigeria as existing, but most importantly, future tobacco users. Nigeria is the focus of this study because the tobacco industry has viewed it as a major emerging market since the 1990s. Successful marketing in Nigeria could provide the industry with a template for similar initiatives in other emerging markets in low- and middle-income countries.Methods The research began with a systematic review of secondary literature to determine how the tobacco industry has targeted youth globally. It then used the theory of triadic influence as a heuristic framework to categorize the various industry strategies. Quotations from internal tobacco industry documents were organized into the three streams of the theory of triadic influence: biology/personality, social and cultural/environmental streams. A total of 12 interviews were conducted with 6 policymakers and governmental officials, 2 civil society organization representatives, a high school principal, a journalist and 2 researchers to investigate how the tobacco industry had targeted youth in Nigeria.Results The findings indicate that TTCs have actively targeted youth in Nigeria since the 1990s, focusing on changing behaviour through the biology/personality, social and environmental/ cultural streams.Conclusion The study recommends that Nigeria implement and vigorously enforce its 2015 National Tobacco Control Bill.

scholarly journals Developing more detailed taxonomies of tobacco industry political activity in low-income and middle-income countries: qualitative evidence from eight countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e004096
Author(s):  
Britta Katharina Matthes ◽  
Kathrin Lauber ◽  
Mateusz Zatoński ◽  
Lindsay Robertson ◽  
Anna B Gilmore
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Control Policies ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
Starting Point

IntroductionHistorical evidence, predominantly from high-income countries (HICs), shows that the tobacco industry uses a recurring set of arguments and techniques when opposing tobacco control policies. This data formed the basis of a model of tobacco industry political activity known as the policy dystopia model (PDM). The PDM has been widely used in tobacco control research and advocacy and has subsequently been shown relevant to other unhealthy commodities industries in both HICs and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Before it can be validated as a generic tool for researching corporate influence on policy, one needs to determine whether the PDM successfully captures contemporary corporate political activities in LMICs.MethodWe conducted semistructured interviews with 22 LMIC-based advocates and used the transcripts as the primary data source. The discursive and instrumental taxonomies constituting the PDM served as the starting point for the coding framework. Using thematic analysis, we combined deductive and inductive coding to ensure we captured all strategies from the PDM and the interviews.ResultsThis study found that the tobacco industry uses a set of discursive and instrumental strategies that is largely consistent across LMICs and with the PDM. We identified several minor contextual nuances absent from the PDM. Some of these nuances were characteristic to individual countries, while others to LMICs more broadly. They included the argument that tobacco control policies unfairly punish reputable tobacco industry actors, and an emphasis on instrumental strategies centred around maintaining a good image, rather than rehabilitating a tarnished image as emphasised in the PDM.ConclusionsAllowing for the nuances identified in this study, the PDM has been found to be fit for purpose. The revised model should now be tested through in-depth LMIC case studies and could be used to facilitate comparative studies of unhealthy commodity industries’ political activities.

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