tobacco control; policy process; advocacy coalition framework; multiple streams approach; tobacco act; ministry of health; dutch smoking or health foundation; self-regulation; policy stagnation; the ...netherlands; tobacco taxation; cultural values; social norms; smoking rate; public support; corporatism; deregulation; evidence based health policy; lobby; agenda setting
IntroductionArticle 5.3 WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) aims to prevent tobacco industry interference with public health policy. The degree of protection depends on several ...factors: the interpretation of Article 5.3 by governments; the presence of codes of practice; and the effectiveness of industry lobbying versus public health advocacy. We examine these factors with reference to the Dutch government’s interpretation of Article 5.3.MethodsWe searched the Dutch Tobacco Industry Special Collection, part of the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents archive, containing more than 1100 Dutch government documents.ResultsBetween 2007 and 2012, under consistent pressure from the industry, an initial strict view of Article 5.3 gave way to increased contact with the industry. The industry tried to shift the governance of tobacco policy back to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Around 2010, Dutch public health advocates began to use Article 5.3. Efforts included naming and shaming government contact with the industry, parliamentary questions about industry–government contact, a report outlining how Article 5.3 should be observed and, most importantly, a court case. In response to this, the government produced a formal code of practice, which was used to prevent industry involvement in the development of a new National Prevention Accord.DiscussionThe Dutch government’s initial decision not to codify Article 5.3 created an administrative environment in which health ministers’ interpretation of Article 5.3 was able to shift according to their political beliefs. The findings support the recommendation that Parties to the FCTC take a strict approach and formally codify Article 5.3 to ensure effective implementation.
We discuss progress made with respect to reducing the burden of disease caused by tobacco use within the WHO European Region and outline major issues and challenges regarding ongoing implementation ...of tobacco control policy. Although 50 of 53 countries in the WHO European Region are parties to the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), smoking prevalence varies tremendously between European countries. While smoking rates are decreasing slowly, faster declines among smokers with a higher socioeconomic status are leading to growing inequalities in tobacco use. Governments in Europe increasingly formulate visions of ‘tobacco-free’ societies and it is encouraging that the European Commission aims to achieve a tobacco-free Europe in 2040 as part of its Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. While core WHO FCTC measures still have to be fully implemented in many European countries, some countries are implementing more advanced measures such as plain packaging, banning of characterising flavours from tobacco products, tobacco retailer licensing and extensions of smoking bans into spaces such as cars, outdoor areas and public streets. Remaining challenges include protecting tobacco control policymaking from tobacco industry interference, insufficient dedicated budget for scientific research and the need for Europe-wide monitoring data on use of tobacco and nicotine products.
In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of ...e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probability samples of adult smokers.
A cross-sectional analysis of probability samples of adult (≥ 18 years) current and former smokers participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys from 10 countries. Surveys were administered either via phone, face-to-face interviews, or the web. Survey questions included sociodemographic and smoking-related variables, and questions about e-cigarette awareness, trial and current use.
There was considerable cross-country variation by year of data collection and for awareness of e-cigarettes (Netherlands (2013: 88%), Republic of Korea (2010: 79%), United States (2010: 73%), Australia (2013: 66%), Malaysia (2011: 62%), United Kingdom (2010: 54%), Canada (2010: 40%), Brazil (2013: 37%), Mexico (2012: 34%), and China (2009: 31%)), in self-reports of ever having tried e-cigarettes (Australia, (20%), Malaysia (19%), Netherlands (18%), United States (15%), Republic of Korea (11%), United Kingdom (10%), Brazil (8%), Mexico (4%), Canada (4%), and China (2%)), and in current use (Malaysia (14%), Republic of Korea (7%), Australia (7%), United States (6%), United Kingdom (4%), Netherlands (3%), Canada (1%), and China (0.05%)) corrected.
The cross-country variability in awareness, trial, and current use of e-cigarettes is likely due to a confluence of country-specific market factors, tobacco control policies and regulations (e.g., the legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine), and the survey timing along the trajectory of e-cigarette awareness and trial/use in each country. These ITC results constitute an important snapshot of an early stage of what appears to be a rapid progression of global e-cigarette use.
Widening of socioeconomic status (SES) inequalities in smoking prevalence has occurred in several Western countries from the mid 1970's onwards. However, little is known about a widening of SES ...inequalities in smoking consumption, initiation and cessation.
Repeated cross-sectional population surveys from 2001 to 2008 (n ≈ 18,000 per year) were used to examine changes in smoking prevalence, smoking consumption (number of cigarettes per day), initiation ratios (ratio of ever smokers to all respondents), and quit ratios (ratio of former smokers to ever smokers) in the Netherlands. Education level and income level were used as indicators of SES and results were reported separately for men and women.
Lower educated respondents were significantly more likely to be smokers, smoked more cigarettes per day, had higher initiation ratios, and had lower quit ratios than higher educated respondents. Income inequalities were smaller than educational inequalities and were not all significant, but were in the same direction as educational inequalities. Among women, educational inequalities widened significantly between 2001 and 2008 for smoking prevalence, smoking initiation, and smoking cessation. Among low educated women, smoking prevalence remained stable between 2001 and 2008 because both the initiation and quit ratio increased significantly. Among moderate and high educated women, smoking prevalence decreased significantly because initiation ratios remained constant, while quit ratios increased significantly. Among men, educational inequalities widened significantly between 2001 and 2008 for smoking consumption only.
While inequalities in smoking prevalence were stable among Dutch men, they increased among women, due to widening inequalities in both smoking cessation and initiation. Both components should be addressed in equity-oriented tobacco control policies.
Tobacco retailer licencing has been recommended as an effective tobacco control strategy. In most European countries, however, retailers do not need a licence to sell tobacco products. We aimed to ...stimulate a discussion on the potential for tobacco retail licencing in Europe by describing (1) potential public health benefits, (2) licencing methods and (3) barriers and success factors in adoption of licencing systems. There is limited scientific evidence, but tobacco retail licencing may reduce smoking in three ways: (1) improved enforcement of and compliance to existing point-of-sale tobacco control policies (eg, minimum age of sale), (2) a reduction in the number and/or density of tobacco retail outlets and (3) denormalisation of tobacco. Licencing systems may take diverse forms. Systems may make licences expensive, and set criteria for purchasing a licence and retaining the licence after first purchase. In Europe, licencing systems have been implemented in Finland, Hungary, France, Italy and Spain. Licencing in Finland and Hungary was adopted for public health reasons; in Finland, with strong public support. In France, Italy and Spain, tobacco sales were state-monopolised, driven by economic motives. The cases of Norway and Scotland show that adoption of retail licencing may fail when political support is insufficient and tobacco retailers organise opposition with support from the tobacco industry. In conclusion, tobacco retailer licencing is a promising method to contribute to tobacco control efforts. Placing tobacco retailer licencing in a child protection framework may help generate the strong political and public support needed to effectively adopt licencing systems.
Background: During the 1990s, inequalities in smoking prevalence by socioeconomic status (SES) have widened in Europe. Since then, many tobacco control policies have been implemented. Yet, European ...overviews of recent trends in smoking inequalities are lacking. This paper aims to provide an overview of longterm trends of socioeconomic inequalities in smoking cessation in Europe. Methods: We used data for 11 countries taken from Eurobarometer surveys from 1987 to 1995 and 2002—2012, with a total study sample of 63 737 respondents. We performed multilevel logistic regression to model associations of the quit ratio (proportion former smokers of ever smokers) with SES, measured by education and occupation separately, with adjustments for age, sex and time. Results: We found a significant, positive association for education and occupation with the quit ratio. The strength of the association decreased slightly from 1987 to 1995 and increased again from 2002 to 2012. Inequalities increased between the two periods in most countries and decreased in only one country. While in 1987-1995, the quit ratio increased among all SES groups and most strongly among the low SES group, in 2002-2012 it increased only among the high-education group (OR=1.38, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.87), and nonmanual occupation group (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.12). Conclusions: Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking cessation rates have strongly increased since the 1990s and during the 2000s. This suggests that the tobacco control policies implemented during the 2000s have not been able to counter the trend in increasing inequalities.
The Netherlands has moved towards the forefront of tobacco control in Europe, after having implemented important tobacco control measures in 2020 and 2021, which included higher tobacco taxation, ...plain packaging of tobacco products, a partial point of sale tobacco display ban, smoking ban on school grounds, and other smoking restrictions. We examined the factors contributing to these successes, focussing on the network of tobacco control advocacy organisations and the process of agenda-setting. Crucial determining factors were stricter adherence to Article 5.3 FCTC, which prevents government to consult tobacco industry, and the genesis of a 'Smoke-free Generation' movement in the wider society, initiated by the three main national charities (Lung Foundation Netherlands, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Cancer Society). The Smoke-free Generation concept proved to be a highly attractive unifying strategy for national en local policy makers and Dutch society. As a result, the Dutch government was able to start a process of strengthening tobacco control policy through drafting and implementing a National Prevention Agreement, which aims at a tobacco control endgame goal of less than 5% smokers in 2040. Between 2019 and 2020 smoking rates dropped from 21.7% to 20.2%. The Dutch experience can provide inspiration for countries where tobacco control is still lagging behind. It also illustrates that continued vigilance is needed, since the most recent government change was associated with a hampering of further reduction of the proportion of smokers and a temporary drop in attention to tobacco control from the central government.
Abstract Background The cost of tobacco is one of the most reported reasons to quit smoking. The Netherlands increased tobacco taxes twice in the span of nine months: a €1 increase per pack in April ...2020, and a €0.12 increase per pack in January 2021. This study examines to what extent people report to think about quitting due to the upcoming tax increase(s), as well as how it relates to their age, income or educational level. Additionally, we examined whether thinking about quitting was associated with quit intention and quit behaviour, and whether these associations were different for the two tax increases. Methods Longitudinal data from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Netherlands Surveys, Cohort 2 were used ( N = 5919 observations; wave 1 (February – March 2020): n = 2051; wave 2 (September – November 2020): n = 1919; wave 3 (June – July 2021): n = 1949). Generalised Estimating Equation (GEE) regressions were fit to test the associations between thinking about quitting due to the tax increase and post-tax increases in quit intention, serious quit attempts, and quitting smoking (≤ 1 cigarette a month), as well as sociodemographic variables. Results Circa half of the people who smoke reported thinking about quitting smoking due to the upcoming tax increase (Wave 1 = 51.3% ( n = 1052); Wave 2 = 47.3% ( n = 849)). Individuals who reported thinking about quitting smoking due to upcoming tax increase(s) were more likely to have increased their quit intention (aOR: 2.00, p ≤ .001) or have carried out a serious quit attempt (aOR:1.48, p ≤ .001) post-tax increase. More people attempted to quit smoking between wave 2 and 3 (post 2021 increase) than between wave 1 and 2 (post 2020 increase). We did not find an interaction effect between wave and thinking about quitting for quit intention, quit attempts, and quitting smoking. Conclusions Tax increases stimulate people to think about quitting. Thinking about quitting due to an upcoming tax increase was associated with more positive quit intention and serious quit attempts.
Although recent research shows that smokers respond differently to the COVID-19 pandemic, it offers little explanation of why some have increased their smoking, while others decreased it. In this ...study, we examined a possible explanation for these different responses: pandemic-related stress.
We conducted an online survey among a representative sample of Dutch current smokers from 11-18 May 2020 (n=957). During that period, COVID-19 was six weeks past the (initial) peak of cases and deaths in the Netherlands. Included in the survey were measures of how the COVID-19 pandemic had changed their smoking, if at all (no change, increased smoking, decreased smoking), and a measure of stress due to COVID-19.
Overall, while 14.1% of smokers reported smoking less due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 18.9% of smokers reported smoking more. A multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that there was a dose-response effect of stress: smokers who were somewhat stressed were more likely to have either increased (OR=2.37; 95% CI: 1.49-3.78) or reduced (OR=1.80; 95% CI: 1.07-3.05) their smoking. Severely stressed smokers were even more likely to have either increased (OR=3.75; 95% CI: 1.84-7.64) or reduced (OR=3.97; 95% CI: 1.70-9.28) their smoking. Thus, stress was associated with both increased and reduced smoking, independently from perceived difficulty of quitting and level of motivation to quit.
Stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic appears to affect smokers in different ways, some smokers increase their smoking while others decrease it. While boredom and restrictions in movement might have stimulated smoking, the threat of contracting COVID-19 and becoming severely ill might have motivated others to improve their health by quitting smoking. These data highlight the importance of providing greater resources for cessation services and the importance of creating public campaigns to enhance cessation in this dramatic time.
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