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. 2021 Jul 3;16(1):57.
doi: 10.1186/s13011-021-00393-8.

Implementation of tobacco control measures in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, 2008-2020

Sarah S Monshi  1   2 , Jennifer Ibrahim  3
Affiliations

Implementation of tobacco control measures in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, 2008-2020

Sarah S Monshi et al. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. .

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was developed to assist nations in reducing the demand and supply of tobacco. As of 2020, 182 nations joined the FCTC, agreeing to implement the recommended tobacco control measures. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) ratified the WHO FCTC by August 2006. Given the unique political, cultural, and religious context - and known tobacco industry efforts to influence tobacco use- in these nations, a careful examination of the translation of FCTC measures into policy is needed. This study aimed to assess the implementation of FCTC tobacco control measures at the national level within the six GCC countries.

Method: We collected and coded the FCTC measures that were implemented in the GCC countries. We examined trends and variations of the implementation between 2008 and 2020.

Results: GCC countries implemented most FCTC measures targeting the demand for and supply of tobacco, with some variation among countries. Bahrain and Qatar were more comprehensively implementing FCTC measures while Kuwait and Oman implemented the least number of the FCTC measures. Implementing measures related to tobacco prices and eliminating the illicit tobacco trade has slowly progressed in GCC countries. All GCC countries entirely banned smoking in workplaces while three countries implemented a partial ban in restaurants. Only Oman has restrictions on tobacco ads shown in media. There is progress in implementing FCTC measures related to tobacco packaging, cessation, and sale to minors in most GCC countries.

Conclusions: Given the influence of the tobacco industry in the Gulf region, the findings suggest a need for ongoing surveillance to monitor the proliferation of tobacco control measures and evaluate their effectiveness. Efforts required to address tobacco use should correspond to the unique political and cultural background of the GCC countries.

Keywords: Anti-tobacco policy; Framework convention on tobacco control; Gulf Cooperation Council; Smoking; Tobacco control measures; Tobacco use.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Shows age-standardized estimated prevalence of current tobacco smoking among adults (Age ≥ 15) who smoke tobacco daily and occasional in GCC countries [9]
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Indicates times when FCTC treaty was signed, ratified, and entered into force in GCC countries [14, 16]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Demonstrates the progress of implementing key FCTC measures, focusing on the demand for and supply of tobacco in GCC countries
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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