Awareness of tobacco industry tactics among tobacco control
Patanavanich R, Glantz S. Awareness of tobacco industry tactics among tobacco control communities in Thailand and its association with attitudes towards tobacco industry and perceptions of e-cigarettes. Tob Control. 2024 Apr 18:tc-2023-058501. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058501. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38637148.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38637148/
“We conducted an online survey of individuals who had been involved in tobacco control in Thailand. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between awareness of tobacco industry tactics and different attitudes towards tobacco industry and perceptions towards e-cigarettes, controlling for role in tobacco control and demographics among 441 respondents.
Participants who were more aware of tobacco industry tactics were more likely to have negative attitudes toward the tobacco industry and e-cigarettes. Compared with active experts of the Provincial Tobacco Products Control Committee and provincial public health officials who work in tobacco control programs, advocates who worked for civil society organizations in tobacco control were more aware of tobacco industry tactics and had less favorable perceptions of e-cigarettes. This study emphasizes the importance of educating public health professionals and policymakers about tobacco industry behavior, especially in the era of e-cigarettes.”
Comment: While civil society advocates may have more awareness of tobacco industry tactics, it is crucial that Provincial Committees and field monitors, and inspectors have high levels of awareness of tobacco industry tactics to bring a rapid response to tactics used to subvert tobacco control principles and law.
Stephen Hamann
