Partnerships
World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)
Following upon the WFPHA’s 8th International Congress on Public Health held in Arusha, Tanzania in 1997, representatives from the Tanzanian Public Health Association urged WFPHA to develop an initiative to combat the global tobacco crisis. Following the Congress, a WFPHA Position Paper for tobacco control was developed, through which it committed its resources and called for the active participation of the global public health movement in partnership with other agencies and organizations to advocate for the development of an international framework for tobacco control and the implementation of effective tobacco control efforts to promote a tobacco-free world.
Two years later, in 1999, WHO launched the drafting and negotiations for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, being the world’s first international public health treaty. Between 1999 and 2003 WHO held a number of negotiation sessions under an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body in which WFPHA participated. The FCTC entered into force on February 27, 2005 and as of September 30, 2007 has been ratified by over 150 parties, including Canada (parties are countries that have ratified the FCTC and are obligated to implement its directives).
WFPHA became an early member of the Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control, a consortium of international NGOs engaged on global tobacco control. In May 2001, WFPHA organized its first international workshop on the topic of global tobacco. The outcome from this meeting was a call to action for national public health associations to become actively engaged in tobacco control, both in their respective countries but as well on the global scene.
In 2004, WFPHA further demonstrated its support for the FCTC by promoting a petition for public health professionals in association with other international health professionals’ associations. The purpose of this petition is to generate greater interest and support for the Convention in countries throughout the world.
WFPHA continues to support efforts to encourage FCTC ratification worldwide as well as the application of its Articles in all countries.
Canadian Global Tobacco Control Forum (CGTCF)
Canadian Global Tobacco Control Forum (CGTCF) is a multi-NGO consortium formed in 2005 for which the Canadian Public Health Association is the coordinating and administrative agency. The CGTCF brings together CPHA, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Healthbridge, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Association, la coalition québécoise pour le contrôle du tabac, and their counterpart overseas partner associations/organizations for the expansion and strengthening of local capacity to design and deliver tobacco control activities. This forum enhances cooperation among the Canadian NGOs and brings a coordinated approach to the Canadian contribution to global tobacco control.
With a financial contribution from Health Canada, the CGTCF has been able to provide technical and financial support to partner organizations in Burkina Faso, PDR China, Congo-Brazzaville, Jamaica, Ecuador, Mexico, Mozambique, Niger, Tanzania and Vietnam. The CGTCF has also collaborated with regional initiatives, through the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Interamerican Heart Foundation.
These activities achieved a number of important results. The social, cultural, governmental, and logistical issues developing countries face, how these differ between countries, and how they influence tobacco control approaches became better understood. Intra-regional collaboration in Francophone Africa and the scope of the tobacco control movement in Mozambique was increased. In Latin America, tobacco control capacity was built and/or re-energized and an online tobacco control course was established. Additionally, an action plan for Canadian government and NGO action to promote more effective tobacco control in China was developed. The CGTCF also supported the travel of individuals from Peru and Uruguay to the 1st FCTC Conference of the Parties (COP), a workshop on package labeling issues at the COP1, and support to tobacco control experts from Mozambique, Niger and Nepal to participate at the COP2. Furthermore, a monitoring report on FCTC implementation in the Commonwealth and DVDs containing tobacco control public service announcements were produced and distributed to the Commonwealth Health Ministers.
Development of a Global Tobacco Surveillance System
Since 1999 CPHA has been a partner with the Tobacco-Free Initiative at WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health in the development and implementation of three surveys that form part of a global tobacco surveillance system (Global Youth Tobacco Survey – GYTS; Global School Personnel Survey – GSPS; and the Global Health Professions Student Survey – GHPSS).
Tobacco consumption among young people in low- and middle-income countries is a major public health concern. The GYTS is a school-based survey designed to enhance the capacity of countries to monitor tobacco use among youth and to guide the implementation and evaluation of tobacco prevention and control programs. A standard methodology is used for constructing the sampling frame, selecting schools and classes, preparing questionnaires, following consistent field procedures, and using consistent data management procedures for data processing and analysis. The information generated from the GYTS is used by participating countries to stimulate the development of tobacco control programs and to assess progress in meeting goals. In addition, GYTS data can be used to monitor seven Articles in the WHO FCTC. As of September 2007, the GYTS has been completed at least once in 148 UN-member countries and in 3 entities (Palestinian Territories, Taiwan and the UN-administered province of Kosovo) and repeat GYTS have been completed in 74 countries. Initial GYTS are under way in 20 countries (bringing to 171 the total number of countries/entities where the GYTS has been carried out), and repeat surveys are on-going in another 50 countries.
Teachers, school administrators and school support personnel are role models for young people. Their attitudes towards tobacco and their smoking behaviour can have an impact on the decision of young people to start smoking, and as well can affect the effectiveness of school-based tobacco control activities. The GSPS collects information from school personnel concerning their use of tobacco and their tobacco related school policies and programs. To date (September 2007) the GSPS has been conducted in 69 countries.
Tobacco use among health professionals is of particular interest in the area of tobacco related surveillance since they are not only responsible for primary health care and education for tobacco related issues such as cessation and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, but are also role models in the community. The GHPSS is a school-based survey of third-year students pursuing advanced degrees in dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy. The GHPSS uses a core questionnaire on demographics, prevalence of cigarette smoking and other tobacco use, knowledge and attitudes about tobacco use, exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, willingness to stop smoking, and training received regarding patient counseling on smoking cessation techniques. The GHPSS has a standardized methodology for selecting participating schools and classes and has uniform data processing procedures. A pilot GHPSS was conducted in 2005 in 10 countries. As of September 2007, the GHPSS has been conducted in 40 countries and is being carried out in 13 additional countries.
