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. 2024 May 2;33(Suppl 1):s17-s26.
doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058337.

Interpreting results, impacts and implications from WHO FCTC tobacco control investment cases in 21 low-income and middle-income countries

Nathan Mann  1 , Garrison Spencer  2 , Brian Hutchinson  2 , Carrie Ngongo  2 , Dudley Tarlton  3 , Douglas Webb  4 , Daniel Grafton  3 , Rachel Nugent  2   5
Affiliations

Interpreting results, impacts and implications from WHO FCTC tobacco control investment cases in 21 low-income and middle-income countries

Nathan Mann et al. Tob Control. .

Abstract

Background: Tobacco control investment cases analyse the health and socioeconomic costs of tobacco use and the benefits that can be achieved from implementing measures outlined in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). They are intended to provide policy-makers and other stakeholders with country-level evidence that is relevant, useful and responsive to national priorities and policy context.

Methods: This paper synthesises findings from investment cases conducted in Armenia, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Eswatini, Georgia, Ghana, Jordan, Laos, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tunisia and Zambia. We examine annual socioeconomic costs associated with tobacco use, focusing on smoking-related healthcare expenditures, the value of lives lost due to tobacco-related mortality and workplace productivity losses due to smoking. We explore potential benefits associated with WHO FCTC tobacco demand-reduction measures.

Results: Tobacco use results in average annual socioeconomic losses of US$95 million, US$610 million and US$1.6 billion among the low-income (n=3), lower-middle-income (n=12) and upper-middle-income countries (n=6) included in this analysis, respectively. These losses are equal to 1.1%, 1.8% and 2.9% of average annual national gross domestic product, respectively. Implementation and enforcement of WHO FCTC tobacco demand-reduction measures would lead to reduced tobacco use, fewer tobacco-related deaths and reduced socioeconomic losses.

Conclusions: WHO FCTC tobacco control measures would provide a positive return on investment in every country analysed.

Keywords: Advocacy; Low/Middle income country; Policy; Tobacco control.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Average adult population, smoking prevalence and smoking-related mortality by country income group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Smoking prevalence and annual socioeconomic costs of tobacco use by country. GDP, gross domestic product.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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