Smoking ban challenges

BACKGROUND: Sale of single cigarettes (also known as singles or loosies) is a key driver for early initiation of smoking and is a leading contributor to the smoking epidemic in India. Sale of singles additionally deter implementation of tobacco control strategies of pictorial health warnings including plain packaging and defeat effective taxation and promote illicit trade. We review India's tobacco control policy responses towards banning singles and other products sold as loose tobacco and identify opportunities for future policy intervention especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic...

E-cigarette use continues to increase globally despite uncertainty regarding their long-term health impacts and around their effectiveness for tobacco smoking cessation. This uncertainty creates unique challenges for governments as they attempt to optimally regulate and positively or negatively incentivize these products in a way that maximizes the public's health. Current approaches to e-cigarette regulation and incentivization fall within a spectrum of options ranging from a singular focus on health protection, whereby policies intend to prevent the dangers of e-cigarettes, to a singular focus on using e-cigarettes for harm reduction, whereby policies intend to reduce the more harmful effects of smoking tobacco...

INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive tobacco control policies are lacking in Indonesia where smoking prevalence in males is among the highest in the world. This study aims to explore the knowledge, attitude, opportunities and challenges to tobacco control among local stakeholders. METHODS: This is a qualitative study using in-depth interviews. Four study areas included Bengkulu Province, Bengkulu City, Seluma District, and Kaur District. Eighteen participants interviewed were from policymakers, legislators, and civil societies during November-December 2020...

BACKGROUND: Tobacco companies have maintained a profitable business in Singapore, despite its strong anti-tobacco climate and commitment to protect public health policymaking from tobacco industry interference in line with Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3. This study describes how tobacco companies influence policymaking in a highly regulated environment such as Singapore's, where there is a strong government commitment to Article 5.3. METHODS: Analysis of internal tobacco industry documents detailing the industry's lobbying activities in Singapore, retrieved via snowball searches in the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Library...

OBJECTIVE: To understand how food laws are used, contested and interpreted to ban certain forms of chewing tobacco in India. METHODS: A qualitative study analysing all the tobacco-related litigation under the food laws in India. We used an inductive thematic analysis of the litigation contents. RESULTS: The tobacco industry systematically deployed litigation to (1) challenge the categorisation of smokeless tobacco products as food, and hence, questioned the use of food laws for regulating these products; (2) challenge the regulatory power of the state government in banning tobacco products via the food laws; and (3) challenge the applicability of the general food laws that enabled stricter regulations beyond what is prescribed under the tobacco-specific law...

This report describes the current status of the tobacco control measures contained in the Strategy and Plan of Action to Strengthen Tobacco Control in the Region of the Americas 2018-2022 (Pan American Health Organization) and the advances made in its application, identifying achievements from 2016 to 2020 and challenges that still need to be addressed in order to reach the expected goals. This analysis relied on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic from 2015, 2017, and 2019, and national regulations were analyzed to determine their consistency with WHO criteria...

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy creates a unique window of opportunity for smoking cessation. However, pregnant women from underserved groups can face personal, social, and environmental challenges that impede quitting. This study draws upon the socioecological framework to explore perspectives on smoking cessation among pregnant and postpartum women from low-income groups in the mid-South of the United States. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 60 women who were pregnant or postpartum...

The trade in wild meat is an important economic component for rural people's livelihoods, but it has often been perceived to be amongst the main causes of the decline of wildlife species. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light an additional concern of wildlife markets as a major health challenge for humanity. This study brings data analyses from the largest longitudinal monitoring of wild meat markets in Amazonia, comprising surveys between 1973 and 2018 carried out in the most important urban markets of Iquitos, Peru, and examine the trends and impacts of these markets in people's livelihood...

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been recognized as a major health hazard by environmental and public health authorities worldwide. In Portugal, smoke-free laws are in force for some years, banning smoking in most indoor public spaces. However, in hospitality venues such as restaurants and bars, owners can still choose between a total smoke-free policy or a partial smoking restriction with designated smoking areas, if adequate reinforced ventilation systems are implemented. Despite that, a previous study showed that workers remained continuously exposed to higher ETS pollution in Lisbon restaurants and bars where smoking was still allowed, comparatively to total smoke-free venues...

INTRODUCTION: Workplaces are important settings for implementation of smoke-free environments. In this study, we follow a medical production company with 677 employees that implemented one of the most stringent tobacco policies legally possible in Denmark - smoke-free work hours - which means that employees are not allowed to smoke during work time. This study explores tobacco use restrictions during work hours regarding readiness of implementation, focusing specifically on middle managers' perceptions and considerations, as well as their perceived responsibility in enforcing these...

Introduction: Tobacco use, often initiated in younger ages, is a serious health challenge worldwide. In Sweden, smoking has been prohibited on school grounds since 1994. Municipal environmental and health inspectors control the compliance of the ban. Nevertheless, the enforcement and maintenance of the ban are inadequate. The aim of the current study was to identify facilitators, barriers, and the potential for improved implementation of a 25-year outdoor school ground smoking ban in upper secondary schools...

BACKGROUND: Electronic cigarettes ("e-cigarettes") have altered tobacco smoking trends, and their impacts are controversial. Given their lower risk relative to combustible tobacco, e-cigarettes have potential for harm reduction. This study presents a simulation-based analysis of an e-cigarette harm reduction policy set in the USA. METHODS: A system dynamics simulation model was constructed, with separate aging chains representing people in different stages of use (both of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes)...

INTRODUCTION: Smoke-free school hours (SFSHs) entails a smoking ban during school hours and might be an effective intervention to reduce the high smoking prevalence in vocational schools. For SFSH to be effective, the policy must be adequately implemented and enforced; this challenge for schools constitutes a research gap. The 'Smoke-Free Vocational Schools' research and intervention project has been developed to facilitate schools' implementation of SFSH. It is scheduled to run from 2018 to 2022, with SFSH being implemented in 11 Danish vocational schools...

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, are responsible for almost 70% of all deaths worldwide. Tobacco use is a risk factor common to most NCDs. This article discusses tobacco control policies and highlights major achievements and open challenges to reduce smoking prevalence and attributable morbidity and mortality in the 21st century. The introduction of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005 has been a key achievement in the field, and has already facilitated a drop in both smoking prevalence and exposure to secondhand smoke...

Idiopathic infertility is the most common individual diagnosis in male infertility, representing nearly 44% of cases. Research studies dating over the last half-century consistently demonstrate a decline in male fertility that is incompletely explained by obesity, known genetic causes, or diet and lifestyle changes alone. Human exposures have changed dramatically over the same time course as this fertility decline. Synthetic chemicals surround us. Some are benevolent; however, many are known to cause disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and impair spermatogenesis...

Electronic nicotine delivery systems/devices (ENDS) such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been made available globally, with the intent to reduce tobacco smoking. To make these products more appealing to young adults, many brands have added flavoring agents. However, these flavoring agents are shown to progressively result in lung toxicity when inhaled via e-cigarettes. While recent federal regulations have banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes other than tobacco or menthol flavors, concerns have been raised about the health effects of even these flavors...

BACKGROUND: The sale of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) containing nicotine is prohibited in all Australian states and territories; yet, the growing availability and convenience of the internet enable the promotion and exposure of e-cigarettes across countries. Social media's increasing pervasiveness has provided a powerful avenue to market products and influence social norms and risk behaviors. At present, there is no evidence of how e-cigarettes and vaping are promoted on social media in Australia...

In September 2019, Harrogate Army Foundation College (AFC) introduced what is believed to be the British Army's first smoking ban. AFC, the British Army's only training college for junior soldiers (JS) aged 16-18 years, had identified the possibility of JS adopting a smoking habit during training and introduced positive steps to mitigate this risk. The smoking ban for JS was part of a phased approach, with a complete ban being implemented in January 2020, which extended to all personnel on camp. A historically strong smoking culture in the military meant introducing a ban had inherent challenges, but the potential benefits from doing so made it worth considering...

INTRODUCTION: Despite its known adverse effects on human health, waterpipe smoking is increasing in popularity worldwide. However, compared to cigarettes, regulation of waterpipe product smoking lags behind and presents unique challenges. In search for regulatory options, this systematic review analyzes 36 studies on the differential effects on human health of the waterpipe characteristics including smoking products, heating sources, device components, and packages. METHODS: A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines, revealing 443 unique citations...

INTRODUCTION: Toxic tobacco smoke residue, also known as thirdhand smoke (THS), can persist in indoor environments long after tobacco has been smoked. This study examined the effects of different cleaning methods on nicotine in dust and on surfaces. METHODS: Participants had strict indoor home smoking bans and were randomly assigned to: dry/damp cleaning followed by wet cleaning one month later (N=10), wet cleaning followed by dry/damp cleaning (N=10) one month later, and dry/damp and wet cleaning applied the same day (N=28)...