Worldwide surveillance of tobacco use and tobacco control is essential to develop and implement effective interventions to decrease the morbidity and mortality caused by tobacco use. Tracking changes in tobacco use and tobacco control activities will allow for the monitoring and evaluation of interventions and justify necessary policy and programmatic adjustments. The Regional Survey of Country-specific Data is key to the global tobacco surveillance effort. The Regional Survey is a 42-question comprehensive survey of tobacco use prevention and control activities, as developed through the collaboration between WHO Tobacco Free Initiative Regional Offices, WHO Tobacco Free Initiative Geneva, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Bank. The survey has been designed to collect national level information from all WHO member countries. It will obtain information on tobacco use prevalence, smoking-attributable mortality, tobacco economics, industry organization, national tobacco laws and regulations, and tobacco control policy and programs. The data obtained through the Regional Survey of Country-specific Data will be incorporated into an electronic data warehousing system under development at the CDC and will be made available on the World Wide Web. The presentation will focus on the process of developing a comprehensive tobacco survey instrument, lessons learned from the implementation, and results from the pilot study in countries representing all six WHO regions. The impact of this information on global tobacco control efforts will also be addressed.
Learning Objectives: 1. The participant will be able to prioritize and discuss the steps needed to develop a comprehensive tobacco survey instrument. 2. The participant will be able to recognize and assess the impact of national level information on global tobacco control efforts.
Keywords: Tobacco, Surveillance
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health
World Health Organization
World Bank
American Cancer Society
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.