PHM-Exch> World No Tobacco Day 2009 is approaching

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2009
www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2009

Tobacco health warnings that appear on cigarette packs are among the
strongest
defenses against the global epidemic of tobacco, according to the World
Health
Organization. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control particularly
encourages warnings that contain both pictures and words to convince people
to
quit smoking.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2009 is "Tobacco health warnings." On 31
May
2009 and throughout the following year, the WHO will encourage governments
to
adopt tobacco health warnings that meet criteria for maximal effectiveness,
including that they cover more than half of the pack, appear on both the
front
and back of the pack and contain pictures.

Picture-based health warnings on tobacco packages have been found to work in
countries that require their use.
* In Canada, 58% of smokers said the warnings made them think more about the
health effects of smoking.
* In Brazil, 67% of smokers said the warnings made them want to quit, and
54%
said they made them change their opinion about the health consequences of
smoking.
* In Singapore, 28% of smokers said the warnings made them smoke fewer
cigarettes, and one out of six said they avoided smoking in front of
children as
a result of the warnings.
* In Thailand, 44% of smokers said the warnings made them "a lot" more
likely to
quit over the next month, and 53% said they made them think "a lot" about
the
health risks.

Campaign materials for World No Tobacco Day 2009, including posters, flyers,
stickers, mouse pads, fact sheets, graphs, and a 24-page brochure, are
available
for free download from the World Health Organization:
www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2009.

The "WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2008-the MPower package" is
available for free download in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian,
and
Spanish at www.who.int/tobacco/mpower.

The complete report on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is
available for free download in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian,
and
Spanish at www.who.int/fctc/text_download.

The CDC's "Best practices for comprehensive tobacco control programs-2007"
is
available at
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/tobacco_control_programs/stateandcommunity/best_practices
.

Show the truth. Picture warnings save lives.
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