Tobacco control lends itself to numerous health promotion strategies. In particular, efforts to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke have provided a focal point for community involvement, development of personal skills, and implementation of public policy to promote health. These efforts have achieved a great deal of success in Canada and the United States, with the most successful campaigns occurring at the community level and with the active involvement of local leaders, authorities and community organizations.
In 2001 PAHO launched its Smoke Free Americas initiative in order to apply the lessons learned from these campaigns in Latin America and the English-speaking Caribbean, where awareness of the health hazards of second-hand smoke exposure is low, and where smoke free environments are far less common than in North America. This presentation will communicate the main strategies of the initiative, special considerations of countries in the Region that impact the strategies used, and preliminary results and feedback.
Learning Objectives: 1. Learn about the Smoke Free Americas initiative. 2. Learn about tobacco control strategies and results.
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.