Transdisciplinary Research, Dissemination, and Networking for Tobacco Reduction

1
Transdisciplinary Research, Dissemination, and
Networking for Tobacco Reduction

• Tobacco kills five million people worldwide every
  year.

• Sometime during the next 20 to 25 years,
  tobaccos death toll will double to an
• annual ten million.

• Smoking will become the leading preventable cause
  of death worldwide.
• By 2030, tobacco will draw 70 of its victims
  from low- and middle-income
• nations.

• At that time, tobacco will kill more people than
  all of the following combined

• AIDS

• Tuberculosis

• Automobile Accidents

• Homicide

• Suicide

• Childbirth

• The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates
  that the current global total of 1.2
• billion smokers will rise to approximately 1.6
  billion by 2025.

2
The Tobacco Industry as a Disease Vector

• The resources devoted to tobacco control are
  miniscule compared to the resources devoted to
  tobacco promotion.
• Schools of Public Health have not played a role
  commensurate with the scope of the problem.
• Coordinated efforts are needed to combat the
  tobacco pandemic.
• Schools of Public Health should take a lead role
  in facilitating networking and training of
  researchers and advocates

TOBACCO PROMOTION
tobacco control
3
The FCTC

• The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
  (FCTC) presents an unprecedented opportunity.
• The FCTC is designed to strengthen national and
  international coordination to combat the tobacco
  epidemic.
• The treaty requires restrictions on advertising,
  sponsorship, and promotion, and imposes strong
  labeling requirements.
• The treaty calls on countries to establish clean
  indoor air controls and strengthen legislation to
  combat smuggling.
• It calls for implementing tax and price policies
  on tobacco products that will contribute to
  reduced consumption.
• It calls for testing, measuring, and regulating
  the contents and emissions of tobacco products.

4
Impact of Research

• Examples of the impact of research on global
  tobacco and health
• Epidemiological studies linking smoking and lung
  cancer
• Research on behavioral and pharmacological
  treatments
• Linking tax increases to smoking decreases
• Areas of research promise
• Policy research on smuggling
• Effects of taxation
• Research on effective risk communication
• Finding effective low-cost treatment
• (Warner, 2005)

5
Needed Transdisciplinary Research and
Dissemination

• Example Minnesota TTURC
• Goal to stimulate integrated research across
  scientific disciplines such as neurosciences,
  economics, epidemiology, genetics, behavioral
  sciences, pharmacology and medicine
• Significantly expand our understanding of tobacco
  use, nicotine addiction, and tobacco harm
  reduction
• Disseminate effective intervention and implement
  evidence-based methods for developing policy and
  regulations
• What methods are effective for reducing tobacco
  toxin exposure?
• Can interventions that reduce tobacco toxin
• exposure have health benefits?
• What are valid and reliable biomarkers that can
• be used to measure tobacco toxin exposure?

6
Fogarty International Center Tobacco Grants

• Epidemiological studies, economic assessments,
  prevention, cessation, training and capacity
  building program.
• Quit Tobacco International initiated July 2002.
• Develop culturally appropriate approaches to
  tobacco cessation in India and Indonesia.
• Tobacco cessation currently not a priority.
• If adult consumption were to decrease by 50 by
  2020, approximately 180 million tobacco-related
  deaths could be avoided.
• Health providers must be at the forefront of
  tobacco cessation.
• Substantial formative research is needed.

7
Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

• http//www.srnt.org
• SRNTs 12th Annual Meeting February 15-18, 2006
  Orlando, Florida.
• The mission of the Society is to stimulate the
  generation of new knowledge concerning nicotine
  in all its manifestations, from molecular to
  societal.
• The Society has the following goals

• To sponsor scientific meetings and publications
  fostering the exchange of information on the
  biological, behavioral, social, and economic
  effects of nicotine these activities shall
  include basic and applied research.
• To encourage scientific research on public health
  efforts for the prevention and treatment of
  cigarette and tobacco use.
• To provide expert advice and consultation on
  critical issues concerning tobacco use, nicotine
  dependence, and the therapeutic uses of nicotine.

8
Networking and Coalition Building

• Must lobby for more resources.
• Limited dollars go far in developing world.
• Establish alliances between stakeholders.
• Researchers and advocates must work
  cooperatively.
• Joint SRNT/Tobacco Free Kids request for funding.

9
Some Key Organizations

• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
• Fogarty International Center
• Global Tobacco Research Network
• Research for International Tobacco Control
• American Cancer Society
• Society for Research on Nicotine
  and Tobacco (SRNT)
• Centers for Disease Control
• World Health Organization (WHO)

10
Conclusion

• Identify concrete achievable goals.
• Incremental steps make a difference!
• 10 increase in price of cigarettes in developing
  world could lead to 36 million fewer smokers and
  save 9 million lives.
• Every day almost 15,000 die from tobacco-related
  diseases and these numbers are increasing.
• We must redouble our efforts.
• We must work together for common objectives.