Impacts of CIHR-funded research: Global Health

[ Table of Contents ]

Combating the greatest threat to global health
The science of reducing tobacco use

Overview

One hundred million people during the 20th century lost their lives because of tobacco-related causes. Today, smoking kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis – combined. And, because tobacco use in increasing in low- and middle-income countries, the global tobacco epidemic will reach unprecedented proportions in the 21st century. The nations of the world, under the auspices of the World Health Organization, have adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first-ever international health treaty. The International Tobacco Control Evaluation Project (ITC), led by Dr. Geoffrey Fong of the University of Waterloo, with his colleagues Drs. Mary Thompson and David Hammond, is an international collaboration that has become the world's authority on the effectiveness of tobacco control policies. They have evaluated the impact of such policies on attitudes and behaviours in 20 countries that make up more than 50% of the world's population and 60% of the world's smokers. The team has found, for instance, the graphic warnings on cigarette packages lose their impact over time, suggesting that tobacco-control measures may need continual strengthening to keep them effective.

Impact

Countries including Ireland, France, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and China have used findings from the ITC Project to shape their tobacco control policies.

First Published

CIHR-CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards, 2009