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Current Issues
established tobacco control as a priority on the public health and complementary to the WHO FCTC and is intended to provide key entry
development agenda. points for scaling effective tobacco control work, especially in under-
resourced developing countries. Therefore, the WHO MPOWER polices
World Health Organization MPOWER Policies as could be entry points for cancer prevention in both developed and
Entry Points for Cancer Prevention and the Effective developing countries.
Implementation of the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control The following are strategies that have been shown to reduce tobacco
Understanding the importance of the political momentum developed use. They have been successful in many countries and there are
during the negotiations and the tremendous global support for the indications that they have a synergistic impact.
WHO FCTC, whose parties cover more than 80% of the world’s
population, the WHO has established MPOWER, a package of six MPOWER Policy 1 – Monitoring Tobacco
proven tobacco control policies designed to help countries implement Use and Prevention
and build on the core elements of the WHO FCTC convention. The Assessment of tobacco use and its impact must be strengthened.
MPOWER policies, and the corresponding demand reduction articles of Currently, half of the countries in the world (two of three in the
the WHO, offer a cost-effective road-map for saving millions of lives in developing world) do not have even minimal data about youth and
the future. The MPOWER package includes the most effective policies adult tobacco use. Good monitoring provides information about the
that are proved to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use:
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extent of the epidemic in a country, as well as how to tailor policies to
specific country needs. Both global and country-by-country monitoring
• monitoring tobacco use and prevention; are critical to understanding and reversing the tobacco epidemic.
• protecting people from tobacco smoke;
• offering help to quit tobacco use; MPOWER Policy 2 – Protecting People from
• warning people about the dangers of tobacco; Tobacco Smoke
• enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; All people have a fundamental right to breathe clean air. Smoke-free
and places are essential to protect non-smokers and also to encourage
• raising taxes on tobacco. smokers to quit. Environmental tobacco smoke contributes to a range of
diseases, including heart disease and many cancers. There is no safe level
If these policies are fully implemented and enforced, they will protect of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Therefore, only a 100%
each country’s people from the illness and death that the tobacco smoke-free environment can protect people from tobacco smoke.
epidemic will otherwise inevitably bring. The impact of the MPOWER
policies can turn the vision of the FCTC into a global reality. Although Smoke-free environments are popular. In 2006, Uruguay became the
the tobacco epidemic can be countered, countries need to take first country in the Americas to go 100% smoke-free. The ban won
effective steps to protect their populations. Furthermore, the tobacco support from eight of 10 Uruguayans. In California, 75% of the
epidemic is making health inequalities worse, both within countries, population approves of smoke-free workplace laws that included
where in most cases the underprivileged smoke far more than the restaurants and bars. In China, which has few smoke-free public
wealthy, and internationally, with poor countries soon to make up places, more than 80% support a smoking ban in workplaces, and
more than 80% of the illness and death caused by tobacco. about half support banning smoking in restaurants and bars.
Smoke-free laws do not harm business. Experience shows that in every
The MPOWER policies, and the
country where comprehensive smoke-free legislation has been
enacted, smoke-free environments are easy to implement and enforce,
corresponding demand reduction
and result in either a neutral or positive impact on businesses.
articles of the WHO, offer a cost-
Any country, regardless of income level, can implement smoke-free
effective road-map for saving
laws effectively. However, only 5% of the global population is
millions of lives in the future. protected by comprehensive smoke-free legislation.
MPOWER Policy 3 – Offering Help to Quit Tobacco Use
In order to address those common challenges to both tobacco control Among smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco, three of
and cancer prevention, the WHO has developed several tools for four want to quit. Comprehensive services to treat tobacco
tobacco control and preventing cancers at a country level under the dependence are available to only 5% of the world’s population.
global strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable National healthcare systems hold the primary responsibility for treating
diseases. Foremost among these, the WHO MPOWER strategy is a tobacco dependence.
good example.
Identification of tobacco users and provision of brief advice should be
The package is an integral part of the WHO action plan for the integrated into primary healthcare services and other routine medical
prevention and control of non-communicable diseases that wwas visits, and should include ongoing advice reinforcing the need to quit.
presented at the 61st session of the WHA. As noted in the draft WHO Brief cessation counselling is effective and low-cost because it occurs
non-communicable diseases action plan,
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the MPOWER package is within already existing healthcare services that most people access at
22 EUROPEAN ONCOLOGY
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