Tobacco control and sustainable development: shared challenges and future opportunities

Abstract

In recent years, scholars and public health officials have increasingly perceived tobacco as a threat to sustainable development. This article explores how stronger tobacco control efforts can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. Most obviously, given that tobacco use and exposure account for over 7.2 million deaths annually, tobacco control is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being. However, the article also shows how tobacco is, among others, a driver of poverty and inequalities, a threat to sustainable economic growth, a challenge to the environment, and an obstacle to good governance. In effect, tobacco hinders progress on a host of other SDGs. Particular emphasis is placed on SDG 17: Partnership for the goals. While tobacco control partnerships for the past decades have helped attain public health progress globally, there is a risk of this SDG being hijacked by the tobacco industry and other corporate actors, who use it as a tool to justify the proliferation of public-private partnerships. Finally, the article calls for greater cross-disciplinary thinking and closer collaboration between tobacco control and development scholars, which could be crucial in designing successful tobacco control interventions in low-and middle-income countries, and could help achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda.

Needs of LMIC-based tobacco control advocates to counter tobacco industry policy interference: insights from semi-structured interviews

“…Thus, advocates would likely benefit from more initiatives that develop skills in designing and delivering such training. In line with previous research, [44][45][46] our work also points to potential benefits of framing tobacco control as a development priority and adds that this could be integrated into advocacy to facilitate access to non-health sector stakeholders.…”

A Systematic Review of Tobacco Industry Tactics in Southeast Asia: Lessons for Other Low- And MiddleIncome Regions

“…2 The case of Indonesia also highlights the power of economic arguments, suggesting that arguments which emphasise the economic costs of the burden of tobacco, and benefits of tobacco control to economies and sustainable development, might be more persuasive to governments when pushing for tobacco control in LMICs. 178,179 Our study highlights the tobacco industry's use of litigations to challenge tobacco control measures of Southeast Asian governments, both at the national and local level. This is consistent with other studies that illustrate the tobacco industry's increasing reliance on litigation as an intimidation tactic (regulatory chilling) to dissuade governments, especially those with limited resources, from implementing health policies.…”

One hundred years of health in Poland

“…Mortality in men in age group 20-64 years declined from 38% to 30% between 1991 and 2001, and at the same time CVD mortality declined dramatically in both sexes. Among young adults aged 20-44 CVD mortality declined by 50%, in middle age (45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63)(64) by 40%, and in age groups 65+ by 30% [12,[16][17][18][42][43][44] (see as well Sir R. Doll and R. Peto box).…”

“…In the subsequent years, Parliament introduced national governmental programmes controlling cancer and cardiovascular diseases in Poland with substantial financial sources from national budget dedicated to their realisation [47,48]. Substantial funds were also allocated to primary and secondary prevention efforts.…”