the past, present and future of the tobacco control scale
TRANSCRIPT
The past, present and future of the Tobacco Control Scale
Luk JoossensAdvocacy Officer, ECL
Barcelona21st February 2017
Tobacco Control Scale is more than 10 years old and is cited by more than 600 articles or reports
Effective tobacco control policies
• Higher prices• Smoking bans and
restrictions• Media campaigns• Advertising bans• Prominent warning
labels• Smoking cessation
support
Source: World Bank 2003
MPOWERSix Proven Polices to Reverse the
Global Tobacco Epidemic• Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
• Protect people from tobacco smoke
• Offer help to quit tobacco use
• Warn about the dangers of tobacco
• Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
• Raise taxes on tobacco
The expert group (2003-4)Ken Warner (USA), Albert Hirsch (France), Witold Zatonski (Poland), Paul Nordgren (Sweden), Ann McNeill (UK), Joan Ramon Villalbi (Spain), Fiona Godfrey (Luxembourg), Tibor Szilagyi (Hungary),Marc Willemsen (Netherlands) Luk Joossens (Belgium)
Tobacco control scores
• Prices : 30 points• Smoking restrictions/bans: 22 points• Tobacco control funding : 15 points• Ad ban: 13 points• Smoking cessation : 10 points• Labelling: 10 points Source: Effective tobacco control policies, 2004
‘Effective tobacco control Policy’ scores 1st January 2004.
Countries ranked by ‘Effective tobacco control Policy’ scores (out of 100)
NB. Data of 1st January 2004.
Decrease in prevalence during period 1985-2003 of more than 25% more than 20% more than 15%
Less than 15%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
Mea
n To
tal S
core
100
poi
nts
(rou
nded
up)
Tobacco Control Scale article in Tobacco Control, 2006
30 points for cigarette prices in 2016
The country with the price of the Weighted Average Price of €10 a pack and an EU average Purchasing Power Standard receives 30 points.
Bulgaria would receive 30 points, if the price of a pack would be €4,60 , Spain €9,10, Ireland €14,50, Norway €16,90 and Luxembourg €27,10 .
The last time you visited a bar, were people smoking inside?
8 points for smoke free bars and restaurants A country will receives 8 points for a smoking
ban in bars and restaurants, without exceptions (no smoking rooms) which is enforced.
Enforced legislation means that in the eurobarometer survey of 2012, less than 25% have seen people smoking in a bar or restaurant during the last visit in the last six months.
The last time you visited a bar, were people smoking inside? (Eurobarometer, 2012)
TCS scores 1st July 2005
Ranking 2005 and 2007
Fifth ranking Tobacco Control Scale
• Legislation 1st January 2014• Cigarette prices 1st July 2013• Tobacco control budget 2012
Ranking 2010-2013
Sixth TCS will be presented at ECTOH In Porto on 23rd March 2017
Stimulate the debate on tobacco control policy
“The purpose of this new scale is to introduce a new level of systematisation into scoring tobacco control at country level. (..)we hope the scale will be used even more widely, encouraging comparisons between countries and thus motivation to strengthen weak polices.”
Joossens, Raw, 2006
The leading countries adopted or are considering plain packaging
Comments on price scores
• Weighted average price (WAP)= good indicator• Power purchasing standards is problematic for
some countries• Some countries don’t have WAPs• RYO tobacco is not included• Exchange rates influence scores and makes
trends difficult.• The maximum level of points = abitrary
Comments on smoke free
• Enforcement is measured by the Eurobarometer survey
• Sampling size is low• Some countries don’t Eurobarometer results• Difference between different types of smoking
rooms is no more justified• Scores take into account good legislation and
enforcement
Comments on advertising
• Answers of repondents are not always reliable• Problems of the measurement of enforcement• Is the ban on internet advertising enforced?
Comments on budgets
• Difficult to collect the data• No measurement of the quality of the
campaigns• Only Iceland and Switzerland have high scores• 15 points is probably too high
General comments
• Some respondents want high, others low scores
• Some repondents never reply• Answers of respondents need to be verified by
other sources such database EU, WHO Europe, MPOWER, FCTC, SFP, TFK, etcera
Other policies?
• Article 5.3• Smoking in open areas• Electronic cigarettes• RYO tobacco• Illicit trade measures.
Future of the TCS
• Initially 28 countries, now 35 countries. How many in the future?
• Review of the TCS in 2019• Decisions on future steering group• Website?
