Evaluation of the Thai tobacco control policy.

The longitudinal data collected by the ITC Project have enabled a close examination of the impact of the tobacco-control policies in Thailand. Although there are several promising signs of success in the attempts by the Government of hailand to reduce the use of tobacco the study also indicates some concerns. The study found that the proportion smoking hand-rolled cigarettes had increased probably as a result of the tax increases on cigarettes which made factory-produced cigarettes more expensive. Because hand-rolled cigarettes made with local tobacco do not have the associated warning labelling that factory-made cigarettes must display the shift in the type of tobacco consumption may be reducing the exposure of smokers to information about the health dangers of smoking. This suggests that there is a need to formulate policies and develop regulations that attempt to reduce smoking and raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use among the smokers who smoke hand-rolled cigarettes. Further rounds of the project will monitor whether the changes observed in smoking behaviour continue. Most of the sample approved of the prohibition on smoking in hospitals offices restaurants and other public places. The proportions agreeing with these bans increased between wave I and wave 2. The increasing public acceptance of placing restrictions on smoking provides the Government with the opportunity to aggressively promote tougher anti-smoking regulations. The policy to place graphic warning labels on cigarette packets has met with success. Knowledge of the health impacts of smoking increased and most smokers reported that the graphic warning labels were most effective in making them think about the health dangers of smoking. The success of this policy suggests that the Government should increase the number of warning graphics that are used on cigarette packets. However there is also concern that as smokers and indeed non-smokers become more used to these warnings their impact will diminish. Therefore it is essential to collect longitudinal data to monitor the impacts of warning labels. (excerpt)