Smokefree implementation in Colombia: Monitoring, outside funding, and business support

Abstract

Objective To analyze successful national smokefree policy implementation in Colombia, a middle income country. Materials and methods Key informants at the national and local levels were interviewed and news sources and government ministry resolutions were reviewed. Results Colombia’s Ministry of Health coordinated local implementation practices, which were strongest in larger cities with supportive leadership. Nongovernmental organizations provided technical assistance and highlighted noncompliance. Organizations outside Colombia funded some of these efforts. The bar owners’ association provided concerted education campaigns. Tobacco interests did not openly challenge implementation. Conclusions Health organization monitoring, external funding, and hospitality industry support contributed to effective implementation, and could be cultivated in other low and middle income countries.

Role of stakeholders in Nigeria’s tobacco control journey after the FCTC: lessons for tobacco control advocacy in low-income and middle-income countries

“…This experience is consistent with the results of similar support for civil society groups in other countries, including South Africa,5 Mexico,59 Costa Rica,63 Colombia,64 Uruguay65 and Thailand 3. In many African countries like South Africa, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Nigeria and Kenya, civil society groups partner with government to achieve progress in tobacco policy formulation and implementation 61.…”

Impact of smoking and physical inactivity on self-rated health in women in Colombia

“…In Colombia, the prevalence of tobacco consumption in the last month has decreased from 21.4% in 1993 to 12.85% in 2007 (Macias et al, 2014). This country ratified in 2008 the World Health Organization (WHO) framework convention on tobacco control (Ministerio de la Protección Social, 2008), and in 2009 adopted a national smoke-free law (República de Colombia, 2009), before many low and medium-income countries (Uang et al, 2017; World Health Organization., 2013). However, the more recent data from 2015 showed a prevalence of 13% (7.4% in women and 18.8% in men) (Ministerio de Justicia y del Derecho - Observatorio de Drogas de Colombia, 2015).…”

Memoranda of understanding: a tobacco industry strategy to undermine illicit tobacco trade policies

“…MoUs represent another instalment in a history of ineffective voluntary agreements the TTCs promote to avoid government regulation 23 31–48. TTCs used MoUs to establish a framework of government cooperation and as a public relations vehicle to identify themselves as both the victim of and solution to illicit tobacco trade 16.…”

“…TTCs have long-promoted voluntary self-regulation agreements with governments, including voluntary marketing codes and health warnings,23 31–33 ‘accommodation’ programmes instead of smoke-free laws,34–36 ‘youth smoking prevention programmes’31 37–41 and corporate social responsibility campaigns42–48 to avoid effective regulation. None of these voluntary measures reduced tobacco consumption 31 38 43 49…”