Tobacco Control

Tobacco use is a major cause of preventable death around the world. Given that people of low-income are more likely to use tobacco, and can afford it the least, tobacco can also significantly worsen poverty. Tobacco cultivation and use also harms the environment.

Fortunately, international experience has shown what measures are most effective to greatly reduce tobacco use. By helping governments to pass strong laws on tobacco control and increase tobacco taxes, tobacco use can be significantly reduced, thereby improving health and the environment and reducing poverty.

HealthBridge has provided long term support to partners in several countries. This has helped them work with their Governments to ratify and implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to create strong tobacco control policies, as well as build local networks, increase media cooperation, empower local NGOs, carry out needed research and produce the evidence and materials to help make change happen.

HealthBridge works in partnership with local NGOs and government in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to improve and initiate tobacco control policy development and implementation.

Our strategies include:

  • Carrying out long-term, intensive, low-cost programs to build networks, working with media, conducting research, producing information materials, and advocating for change.
  • Producing guides to tobacco control work (see our reports), including ones on low-cost approaches to working with media and carrying out research for advocacy, addressing industry-sponsored youth smoking prevention campaigns, and identifying major points to include in tobacco control law.
  • Conducting groundbreaking research on the ways that tobacco use can worsen poverty for users and for tobacco-related workers.

HealthBridge is represented on the board of the Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control, and has been the recipient of the WHO World No Tobacco Day Award (for our Ottawa and Hanoi offices).

New and noteworthy

Report on Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS)

This joint research study conducted by the Centre for Media Studies and HealthBridge sought to research, review, and identify legislative and implementation status with regard to Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) regulations in South and South East Asian countries. Read more and view the reportPDF symbol.

North-South Partnerships

The North-South Partnerships to Support and Strengthen Tobacco Control Policies and Law Implementation in Developing Countries project held a regional workshop was held in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2008, and provided the ideal environment for sharing Canadian experiences, lessons learned, and best practices to a number of partners currently engaged in improving tobacco control in their respective countries. These countries included Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The workshop provided the opportunity for useful information and practical advice to be gathered and fed into the Enforcement of Tobacco Control Law: A Guide to the Basics bookletPDF symbol that was distributed to the participants of the workshop and widely disseminated through HealthBridge's networks and at the 14th WCTOH.

Furthermore, three two-page factsheets were published on smuggling, taxation and pictorial package warnings through the North-South Partnerships to Support and Strengthen Tobacco Control Policy and Law Implementation in Developing Countries project. These factsheets include highlights of the issues and an overview of Canadian experiences and lessons learned in tobacco control.