Tobacco control programmes

Abstract

Presentations were made on global, legislative and community approaches, which represent the fundamental aspects of tobacco control. Bung-On Ritthiphakdee underlined that smoking rates in Thailand have decreased although an increase was expected. This is in agreement with experience in Norway: per capita consumption peaked in 1975, and we should have experienced an increase after that, for the same reasons as in Thailand. Thus, if tobacco consumption had continued to rise at the same rate as before 1970, it would have been about 50% higher than it actually is today. Our peak occurred at a level of consumption that is only half that experienced in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. What happened was that we introduced our advertising ban in the same year, 1975, and, contrary to what has been reported at this conference, smoking rates among adolescents fell after that ban was enforced and sales levelled off at the time Parliament decided to introduce legislation. This was emphasized by the Norwegian Minister of Health in a letter to Dr Judith Mackay:“... there is no doubt that the Norwegian advertising ban has had a clear and substantial influence on total consumption in general, and smoking rates among schoolchildren in particular. In my view, the reduction brought about by the advertising ban will have a positive and marked impact on the future incidence of smoking-related diseases and consequent mortality.”