New global efforts involving economists, political scientists, environmentalists and legal experts, in addition to governments and health researchers, are needed to end the burden of tobacco-related disease, according to Thomas Novotny, from San Diego State University, US, in an Editorial published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Sunday 31st May is World No Tobacco Day 2015. In his editorial Prof. Novotny considers the progress that has been made globally in tobacco control and new strategies that are necessary to greatly reduce the global tobacco-related disease burden, which kills about 6 million people every year.
In his Editorial Prof. Novotny highlights new innovative approaches in tobacco control including, the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes; scrutiny of trade agreements; regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration of tobacco products, their labeling, and the market entry of new or altered tobacco products; and cross-disciplinary work involving infectious disease, maternal and child health, and environmental fields.
Prof. Novotny notes, "[i]t is clear to tobacco control advocates that behavioral science is not enough to eliminate tobacco use; today's tobacco control army needs to include economists, political scientists, toxicologists, trade experts, and environmentalists to fully respond to changing industry tactics. The industry is very good at its job, and thus, the tobacco control community needs to be even better at its job."
Prof. Novotny concludes, "[t]oday, tobacco-related diseases are a global pandemic, increasingly affecting poor countries where unfinished agendas in infectious diseases continue to wreak havoc. The United Nation's 2015 Millennium Development Goals did not address tobacco use or the growing epidemics of noncommunicable diseases... Therefore, new global efforts are now needed in the post-2015 global health agenda to reduce the burden of these diseases, starting with those caused by tobacco. Tobacco control and the FCTC [Framework Convention on Tobacco Control] must be integrated into the proposed UN Sustainable Development Goals... thereby mobilizing governments, scientists, and citizens to target the end of the tobacco epidemic."