10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

In News

• WHO has released the 10th edition of its Global Tobacco Epidemic Report, assessing progress in tobacco control since the launch of the MPOWER strategy in 2008.
  • The report notes significant global progress, with over 6.1 billion people now protected by at least one of the six MPOWER measures.

Key Findings of the Report

• Widespread Impact: Since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of the MPOWER policy prescriptions, collectively benefiting over 6.1 billion people. 
• Most Progress: Among all MPOWER measures, large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages have seen the most widespread and consistent implementation. 
• India’s Leadership in Digital Content Regulation: India has notably become the first country globally to apply tobacco control regulations specifically to digital streaming content. 
• India’s Strong Stance on TAPS: India has implemented stringent measures to curb tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) across all forms of media. This aligns with the “E” (Enforce bans) in MPOWER and is a critical step in reducing tobacco appeal.
• Tobacco Tax: A critical finding is that tobacco tax remains the least-adopted MPOWER measure globally. This is a significant concern as increasing tobacco taxes is widely recognized as one of the most effective ways to reduce consumption, especially among youth and lower-income groups.

Tobacco Consumption 

• Tobacco use claims over seven million lives a year, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries.
• India is the world’s second-largest tobacco producer after China.
• India is the 4th largest producer of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco in the world after China, Brazil and Zimbabwe.
• Tobacco use is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses, accounting for over 1.35 million deaths each year.
• Significant progress has been made to reduce tobacco use in countries with the highest burden of tobacco consumption over the last two decades.
  • Key strategies include the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the six proven World Health Organization (WHO) MPOWER tobacco control measures to reduce tobacco use:
    • Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies;
    • Protecting people from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air legislation;
    • Offering help to quit tobacco use;
    • Warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media;
    • Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship;
    • Raising taxes on tobacco.

Source: TH