Abstract
BackgroundTobacco use is the world’s leading preventable cause of illness and death and the most important risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases (heart attack, stroke, congestive obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer). Tobacco control is one of the World Health Organization’s “best-buys” interventions to prevent NCDs. This study assessed the use of a multi-sectoral approach (MSA) in developing and implementing tobacco control policies in South Africa and Togo.MethodsThis two-country case study consisted of a document review of tobacco control policies and of key informant interviews (N = 56) about the content, context, stakeholders, and strategies employed throughout policy formulation and implementation in South Africa and Togo. To guide our analysis, we used the Comprehensive Framework for Multi-Sectoral Approach to Health Policy, which is built around four major constructs of context, content, stakeholders and strategies.ResultsThe findings show that the formulation of tobacco control policies in both countries was driven locally by the political, historical, social and economic contexts, and globally by the adoption WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). In both countries, the health department led policy formulation and implementation. The stakeholders involved in South Africa were more diverse, proactive and dynamic than those in Togo, whereas the strategies employed were more straightforward in Togo than in South Africa. The extent of understanding and use of MSA in both countries consisted of an inter-sectoral action for health, whereby the health department strove to collaborate with other sectors within and outside the government. Consequently, information sharing was identified as the main outcome of the interactions between institutions and interest groups within and across three critical sectors of the state, namely the public (government), the private and the civil society.ConclusionTobacco control policies in South Africa and Togo were formulated and implemented from an inter-sectoral approach perspective, which relied heavily on information transfer between stakeholders and less on collaborative problem-solving approach. Incorporation of multiple stakeholders allowed both countries to formulate policies to meet FCTC goals for tobacco control and NCD reduction.
Highlights
Tobacco use is the world’s leading preventable cause of illness and death and the most important risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases
To assess the extent of understanding and use of multi-sectoral approach (MSA) to the formulating and implementation of tobacco control policies, based on the three primary approaches to engage in an MSA described above, we developed a Comprehensive Framework for Multi-Sectoral Approach to Health Policy Analysis built around four major constructs of context, content, stakeholders and strategies
Research question 1: How were tobacco controls policies formulated and implemented in South Africa and Togo? Regarding policy content, a comparative analysis of the findings from both countries reveals that South Africa and Togo have both passed comprehensive national legislations on tobacco controls, which are almost compliant with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [16] they both ratified in 2005
Summary
Tobacco use is the world’s leading preventable cause of illness and death and the most important risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases (heart attack, stroke, congestive obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer). Formulating and implementing sound tobacco control polices related to these interventions are expected to emerge from interplay between institutions, interests and ideas [2] and to reflect the 2011 United Nations Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCD [3]. This Declaration recognized that prevention must be the cornerstone of the global response to NCD (paragraph 34) and acknowledged the need for a multi-sectoral approach (MSA), including all government levels, to comprehensively and decisively address risk factors and underlying health determinants (paragraph 42). Signatories were obligated to update their national policies related to tobacco control
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
