Polices to reduce tobacco harm: How do we really know what works?

B55

This presentation describes the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation study and provides highlights from studies conducted to date. The ITC study utilizes multiple country controls, a longitudinal design, and a pre-specified, theory-driven conceptual model to test hypotheses about the anticipated effects of the demand reducing policies of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) among (primarily) adult smokers. The rationale for the study and study design are outlined along with highlights from ITC evaluations on product warnings, ad ban, taxation, smoke free policies, and tobacco product regulations. ITC studies completed to date reveal the following: 1) product warning labels are an important source of information for smokers and strengthening labels so that they are larger and more graphic is well justified; 2) smoke free policies are readily accepted and complied with, and appear to help smokers quit; 4) the European Commissions' (EC) 2003 tobacco product advertising ban reduced smokers' exposure to cigarette advertising on billboards/posters, in print media, and in sports events as intended; 5) higher cigarette taxes impact the behavior of smokers in complex ways such as quitting and reducing smoking, switching to lower cost cigarettes (including roll-your-own), and encouraging the use of less costly tobacco outlets; 5) the EC's 10-1-10 product regulation has failed to alter smokers exposure to smoke toxins. As tobacco control policies are formulated and implemented, it is important that they undergo rigorous evaluation since the effects are not always as predicted.