Paradox of sustainability in tobacco control in Thailand: A comprehensive assessment of three‐decade experiences

Abstract

Background: Over the past 3 decades of tobacco control, Thailand has gained international recognition as a middleincome country with sustained achievement of declining smoking prevalence. However, the number of key Framework Convention on Tobacco Control measures implementation is still far away from the highest-level implementation. As a result, we aim to explore explanatory factors for the paradoxical phenomenon of sustainability in tobacco control in Thailand, to understand what the paradox means, why it happens, and how to take further steps in minimizing the paradox. Methods: We used a mixed-method approach comprising qualitative (review of literature and documents plus Program Sustainability Assessment Tool [PSAT] guided key informant interviews) and semi-quantitative methods (PSAT scoring, Theory of Change [TOC], and causal-loop diagram [CLD]) to synthesize all the findings from the qualitative data. Results: Across all eight domains, sustainability scores at the local level are lower than the national level. The highest total score was in three domains: political support, partnership, and organizational capacity. The lowest total score was for the strategic planning domain. We propose a set of

Perception of and legal compliance with the law prohibiting cigarette sales to minors in Thailand following the raising of the minimum selling age to 20 years: a cross-sectional survey

“…6 13 Thailand is an internationally recognised upper middleincome country with a consistently declining smoking rate. 14 15 The Tobacco Products Control Act of 1992, which prohibited the sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 18 years and the display of cigarettes at retail, is largely responsible for this achievement. Although the overall smoking rate among Thai people has decreased, the response of cigarette retailers to such legal measures remains questionable.…”

“…Thailand is an internationally recognised upper middle-income country with a consistently declining smoking rate 14 15. The Tobacco Products Control Act of 1992, which prohibited the sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 18 years and the display of cigarettes at retail, is largely responsible for this achievement.…”