The World Health Organization (WHO) released the “’WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023: Protect people from tobacco smoke“, the 9th report in the series that tracks the status of the tobacco epidemic and interventions to combat it. The report monitors countries’ progress in tobacco control since 2008 and also marks 15 years since the introduction of MPOWER,WHO’s technical package which is designed to assist countries in implementing demand-reduction measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
- The report state that around 5.6 billion people (71% of the world’s population or 7 in 10 people globally) are protected with at least one best practice of tobacco control measure, a 5 times increase from 2007.
- The report showed that 2 new countries, Mauritius and the Netherlands, have achieved best-practice level in all MPOWER measures. Until now, this was achieved by only Brazil and Türkiye.
- Mauritius has become the first African country to fully implement the entire MPOWER Measures. It has recorded a 25% decline in the prevalence of smoking among adults between 1992 and 2021.
What is WHO’s MPOWER Package?
WHO introduced the MPOWER measures in 2008.MPOWER are a set of six cost-effective and high impact measures that help countries reduce demand for tobacco. These measures include:
- M- Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
- P- Protect people from tobacco smoke
- O- Offer help to quit tobacco use
- W- Warn about the dangers of tobacco
- E-Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
- R- Raise taxes on tobacco
About the Report:
It focuses on the ‘P’ in the MPOWER measures i.e. protecting the public from second-hand smoke.It also highlights that almost 40% of countries now have completely smoke-free indoor public places.
Note: The Global Tobacco Epidemic Report initiated in 2008, is a biennial report by WHO.
Highlights from the Report:
Global Tobacco Control :
i.2.1 billion people in 74 countries are covered by complete smoke-free indoor public places, workplaces, and public transport, a seven-fold increase since 2007.
ii.Global smoking prevalence decreased from 22.8% in 2007 to 17% in 2021, preventing 300 million additional smokers.
iii.151 countries have adopted one or more WHO MPOWER measures, a significant rise since 2007.
iv.Eight countries only need one more MPOWER policy to join tobacco control leaders.
- These 8 nations are Ethiopia, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Madagascar, Mexico, New Zealand, and Spain.
Global Tobacco Control: Challenges and Progress
- Second-hand smoke kills 1.3 million non-smokers yearly, exposing them to various health risks.
- 8.7 million people die annually from tobacco-related diseases.
- 44 countries lack any WHO MPOWER measures, and 53 countries lack complete smoking bans in healthcare facilities.
- Banning Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) saw significant progress in 2022, covering 2 billion people in 66 countries.However, it is still under-adopted.
- 74 countries have no regulations addressing tobacco-related products.
- 88 countries, covering 2.3 billion people, have no minimum age for buying e-cigarettes.
Indian Scenario:
i.India has banned e-cigarettes, nicotine products, and tobacco advertising, but tobacco company messaging and e-cigarette branding are still seen during F1 (Formula 1) events and races.
- India, home to an estimated 31 million F1 fans.
ii.The Indian state of Bengaluru in Karnataka has made significant progress in complying with state and national smoke-free laws i.e. Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA).
- This resulted in a 27% reduction of smoking in public places from a rate of 18% in 2017 to 13% in 2021.
iii.Bengaluru received an international award for its efforts to reduce smoking in public places and aims to become 100% smoke-free by 2025.
iv.India is one of the 32 countries with comprehensive cessation services.
v.India is part of the Tobacco Enforcement and Reporting Movement (TERM), a real-time digital monitoring system to detect online tobacco marketing.It was launched by Vital Strategies
vi.India is also among the 121 countries globally that have adopted measures to address electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
Recent Related News:
i.According to the ‘Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, June to November 2023 Outlook’ report released on May 29, 2023, by the United Nation (UN) agencies of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), globally Hunger is set to worsen in 18 ‘hotspots’ comprising a total of 22 countries including the regions in India’s neighbours countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
ii.According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s 11th edition ‘World of Work’, the global unemployment is projected to fall below pre pandemic levels to 191 million, corresponding to an unemployment rate of 5.3% in 2023.
About World Health Organization (WHO):
Director-General– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Established in – 1948
