Symptoms Of A Failing National Stop Smoking Program
The most vocal institutions when it comes to anti-smoking initiatives are governments.
Most governments across the world are actively trying to curtail the work of big tobacco in reaching more people to smoke.
There are however few others especially in the developing world which are reluctant to make all-out war with tobacco multi-nationals due to fear of job loss and foreign exchange loss.
The United Nations (UN) through its WHO arm is actively involved in helping governments come up with effective and long-term tobacco initiatives.
Anti-tobacco groupings are also important in keeping pressure and oversight on both authorities and the tobacco industry to ensure that progress is made and sustained to control tobacco use.
There are key things which are pointers to a failing tobacco program in any given country or jurisdiction.
These symptoms so to speak can even be applied in a micro setting such a community and neighborhood.
Overall raising prevalence - The main goal of any stop smoking program is to control, reduce or at least maintain the current levels of tobacco use.
Whenever tobacco use prevalence continues to increase after the roll-out of a program this is a cause for concern.
It is an indicator that the program is not being effective or that it is leaving certain loop-hole which people and the tobacco industry itself can still exploit.
For example, prevalence may decrease amongst the male population and increase amongst the female population.
Stagnant tobacco taxes - All across the world it is agreed and accepted that tobacco tax increase is one of the ways that governments can use to control tobacco use.
This calls for taxes to be continually be on the increase as the standard of living of a population improves.
Taxes that are not reviewed upward leaves an opportunity for a population that once could not afford the cigarettes at the current rate of taxation to afford due to improved economic prosperity.
Even though stagnant taxes may not altogether conclude that a program is failing they certainly point to symptoms of imminent or future program failure.
Increase in illnesses - A raise in tobacco related illnesses is an important symptom of a weak or failing tobacco intervention program.
When less people are smoking it can be reasonably expected that illnesses associated with tobacco will also decline over a period of time.
Even though government statistics may show decline in tobacco sales illnesses on the raise may point to something sinister such as people smuggling or growing own tobacco.
Most governments across the world are actively trying to curtail the work of big tobacco in reaching more people to smoke.
There are however few others especially in the developing world which are reluctant to make all-out war with tobacco multi-nationals due to fear of job loss and foreign exchange loss.
The United Nations (UN) through its WHO arm is actively involved in helping governments come up with effective and long-term tobacco initiatives.
Anti-tobacco groupings are also important in keeping pressure and oversight on both authorities and the tobacco industry to ensure that progress is made and sustained to control tobacco use.
There are key things which are pointers to a failing tobacco program in any given country or jurisdiction.
These symptoms so to speak can even be applied in a micro setting such a community and neighborhood.
Overall raising prevalence - The main goal of any stop smoking program is to control, reduce or at least maintain the current levels of tobacco use.
Whenever tobacco use prevalence continues to increase after the roll-out of a program this is a cause for concern.
It is an indicator that the program is not being effective or that it is leaving certain loop-hole which people and the tobacco industry itself can still exploit.
For example, prevalence may decrease amongst the male population and increase amongst the female population.
Stagnant tobacco taxes - All across the world it is agreed and accepted that tobacco tax increase is one of the ways that governments can use to control tobacco use.
This calls for taxes to be continually be on the increase as the standard of living of a population improves.
Taxes that are not reviewed upward leaves an opportunity for a population that once could not afford the cigarettes at the current rate of taxation to afford due to improved economic prosperity.
Even though stagnant taxes may not altogether conclude that a program is failing they certainly point to symptoms of imminent or future program failure.
Increase in illnesses - A raise in tobacco related illnesses is an important symptom of a weak or failing tobacco intervention program.
When less people are smoking it can be reasonably expected that illnesses associated with tobacco will also decline over a period of time.
Even though government statistics may show decline in tobacco sales illnesses on the raise may point to something sinister such as people smuggling or growing own tobacco.
