Challenges and Opportunities in Australian Tobacco Control: A Study

PubMed.gov has released a study aiming to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for tobacco control in Australia, and accelerate progress in this field. The study aims to explore the challenges and identify priorities for policy and practice.

Method: This study involved interviewing 31 individuals in Australia who work in tobacco/nicotine-related research, policy, and practice. Interviewees included tobacco control and smoking cessation advocates, researchers, government officials, and healthcare professionals.

Result: Challenges in tobacco regulation include distraction from reforms by the proliferation of electronic cigarettes, insufficient government investment, misunderstanding of smoking cessation goals, and interference from the tobacco industry. Advocating for tobacco control to have a prominent place in political agendas, continued investment in measures, improving support for smoking cessation, and addressing industry interference are seen as important means of tackling these challenges.

Conclusion: Some challenges are believed to impede Australia's anti-smoking efforts, such as sacrificing effective control measures in favor of an excessive focus on e-cigarettes. These challenges need to be immediately addressed.

Impact on public health: Strengthening efforts to control smoking remains a primary means of preventing death. Developing evidence-based national strategies to quit smoking and taking measures to protect tobacco control efforts from those with vested interests are crucial in reducing smoking prevalence.

Keywords: electronic cigarettes; industry interference; smoking; tobacco control.

The year 2022.