Grant Will Further The Monitoring of Global Tobacco Use
Knowing the size and scope of a problem and then tracking how it evolves is vital to resolving persistent public health challenges. One of the largest of those challenges is tobacco use, which represents the world’s leading cause of preventable death and disease. Today, the CDC Foundation announced that it is receiving a $14 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to evaluate tobacco control interventions and measure tobacco control progress in low- and middle-income countries where the tobacco use burden is particularly heavy.
This grant will enable the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), to support implementation of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) and the Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS), both components of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS). Through this grant, GATS will be repeated in 11 countries and will provide a vital opportunity to enhance countries’ capacity to design, implement and evaluate tobacco control interventions among adult populations.
Vietnam, one of the 11 countries scheduled to conduct repeat GATS, enacted its first-ever comprehensive tobacco control law in 2012. The law requires smoke-free workplaces and public places with few exceptions; mandates large, graphic cigarette health warnings; and places strong restrictions on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. GATS results will provide significant opportunities to evaluate tobacco control interventions enacted by the law and measure tobacco control progress in the country. The remaining countries, scheduled to begin repeat GATS over the next two years, will use the survey results to determine the impact of similar policies and understand tobacco use trends.
According to WHO, if urgent action is not taken, the annual death toll from tobacco use could rise from 6 million to more than 8 million by 2030. This grant provides CDC and partner organizations the resources needed to reduce the global burden of tobacco use by measuring tobacco use trends and evaluating key tobacco control indicators.
The CDC Foundation is grateful to work with global partners to reduce the harmful consequences of tobacco use and improve the health of people all over the world.
Photos: © David Snyder/CDC Foundation
