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Balancing science and political economy: tobacco control and global health

Abstract:
Background: Global tobacco control is a major public health issue, as smoking-related disease burden remains high worldwide. The World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) are the driving forces in global tobacco control. However, little research has focused on their development, financing, decision-making, and accountability structures.
Methods: We used two strategies to identify the development and structure of global tobacco control initiatives. First, we reviewed the published literature through electronic databases. Second, we conducted grey literature searching.
Results: We identified four periods in the Bank’s involvement in global tobacco control, from creation of the evidence base in the 1990s to the implementation of tax reforms. We identified three phases in the WHO’s efforts, from its early recognition of the link between tobacco and health risks in the 1970s to its implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Both organisations are financed by a handful of private philanthropies, and face similar risks for effective tobacco control: reduced accountability and resource mobilisation, poor decision-making authority due to specific donor influence, and difficulty in monitoring and evaluation.
Conclusions: Continued attention should be paid not only to the primary health-related outcomes of tobacco use, but also to the decision-making and financing structures to promote tobacco control activities.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14362.1

Authors


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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-6530-2083
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
HUMS
Department:
History Faculty
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-3450-7673
More by this author
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-5058-9023


Publisher:
F1000Research
Journal:
Wellcome Open Research More from this journal
Volume:
3
Article number:
40
Publication date:
2018-04-12
Acceptance date:
2018-07-03
DOI:
EISSN:
2398-502X


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1231854
Local pid:
pubs:1231854
Deposit date:
2022-01-12

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