TY - JOUR
T1 - Smokeless tobacco control policies in South Asia
T2 - A gap analysis and recommendations
AU - Khan, Amina
AU - Huque, Rumana
AU - Shah, Sarwat K.
AU - Kaur, Jagdish
AU - Baral, Sushil
AU - Gupta, Prakash C.
AU - Cherukupalli, Rajeev
AU - Sheikh, Aziz
AU - Selvaraj, Sakthivel
AU - Nargis, Nigar
AU - Cameron, Ian
AU - Siddiqi, Kamran
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/6
Y1 - 2014/6
N2 - Introduction: Almost a fifth of the world's tobacco is consumed in smokeless form. Its consumption is particularly common in South Asia, where an increasing array of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products is widely available. Mindful of the growing public health threat from SLT, a group of international academics and policy makers recently gathered to identify policy and knowledge gaps and proposed strategies to address these. Methods: We reviewed key policy documents and interviewed policy makers and representatives of civil society organizations in 4 South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. We explored if SLT features in existing tobacco control policies and, if so, the extent to which these are implemented and enforced. We also investigated barriers to effective policy formulation and implementation. The findings were presented at an international meeting of experts and were refined in the light of the ensuing discussion in order to inform policy and research recommendations. Results: We found that the existing SLT control policies in these 4 South Asian countries were either inadequate or poorly implemented. Taxes were low and easily evaded; regulatory mechanisms, such as licensing and trading standards, either did not exist or were inadequately enforced to regulate the composition and sales of such products; and there was little or no cessation support for those who wanted to quit. Conclusions: Limited progress has been made so far to address the emerging public health threat posed by SLT consumption in South Asia. International and regional cooperation is required to advocate for effective policy and to address knowledge gaps.
AB - Introduction: Almost a fifth of the world's tobacco is consumed in smokeless form. Its consumption is particularly common in South Asia, where an increasing array of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products is widely available. Mindful of the growing public health threat from SLT, a group of international academics and policy makers recently gathered to identify policy and knowledge gaps and proposed strategies to address these. Methods: We reviewed key policy documents and interviewed policy makers and representatives of civil society organizations in 4 South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. We explored if SLT features in existing tobacco control policies and, if so, the extent to which these are implemented and enforced. We also investigated barriers to effective policy formulation and implementation. The findings were presented at an international meeting of experts and were refined in the light of the ensuing discussion in order to inform policy and research recommendations. Results: We found that the existing SLT control policies in these 4 South Asian countries were either inadequate or poorly implemented. Taxes were low and easily evaded; regulatory mechanisms, such as licensing and trading standards, either did not exist or were inadequately enforced to regulate the composition and sales of such products; and there was little or no cessation support for those who wanted to quit. Conclusions: Limited progress has been made so far to address the emerging public health threat posed by SLT consumption in South Asia. International and regional cooperation is required to advocate for effective policy and to address knowledge gaps.
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U2 - 10.1093/ntr/ntu020
DO - 10.1093/ntr/ntu020
M3 - Article
C2 - 24616238
AN - SCOPUS:84900014563
SN - 1462-2203
VL - 16
SP - 890
EP - 894
JO - Nicotine and Tobacco Research
JF - Nicotine and Tobacco Research
IS - 6
M1 - ntu020
ER -