Title: The policy challenges of tobacco control: Implications for public and global health
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Tobacco control in the UK has recently experienced striking successes for a coalition of health advocates, researchers, funders and policy makers, epitomised by the passage of legislation for smoke-free public places across the devolved UK. These successes have led to tobacco control being identified as a rare example of evidence-based public health policy, with close links between research, advocacy and policy communities. Internationally, the UK has played significant roles in developing tobacco control policies in the EU and the WHO (notably the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control). For all these reasons, it has been suggested that other areas of public health could look to tobacco control as a source of insight and inspiration. At the same time, this narrative of success is challenged by questions about tobacco control's contribution to broader public health and societal goals. While many regard tobacco control as necessarily central to strategies reduce health inequalities, this view has been challenged by some health inequalities researchers. The social gradient in smoking is remarkably persistent, and concerns have been raised about the stigmatization of low-income smokers; meanwhile, the long-established consensus within tobacco control is being threatened by emerging conflicts over new policy proposals. The UK's emphasis on smoking cessation has also been criticised internationally as contributing to the medicalisation of tobacco control. Led by senior social and political scientists, and involving a variety of relevant disciplines, the proposed seminar series will explore these highly contentious issues and aim to inform the future of public health research and policy by facilitating cross-sector and cross-disciplinary conversations. The overall objective is to increase our understanding of the experience and future of UK tobacco control policy by exploring emergent tensions within the field and analysing wider implications for public and global health policy. The series will be organised around the three spheres of challenges internal to tobacco control and their implications for public health policy and global health. These challenges will be explored via a focus on three themes that are central to tobacco control and raise broader questions across public and global health policy: the commercial sector; inequalities; and governance. The programme will be structured as a series of expanding conversations, with one theme being explored each year via three linked seminars: Year 1: Tobacco control and the commercial sector 1. Harm reduction: the end of consensus? 2. Regulating corporations as tackling the determinants of health? 3. The UK & the global tobacco industry: culpability, liability and human rights. Year 2: Tobacco control and inequalities 4. Tackling health inequalities by promoting stigmatisation? 5. Tobacco control, taxation and cessation: implications for policies to address inequalities. 6. Tobacco control and the development agenda beyond the Millennium Development Goals. Year 3: Tobacco control governance 7. Towards an endgame? Challenges in developing transformational strategies. 8. Towards policy coherence in NCD strategies? Lessons across tobacco, alcohol and food policy. 9. The UK in global tobacco control: leader or problem? Each event will be informed by relevant research, advocacy and policy communities, and there will be a strong emphasis on promoting the participation of early career researchers. Multiple formats will be used across the series to reflect the distinctive challenges of specific issues; the priority of all events will be to enable discussion and participation. Seminars will be held under the Chatham House rule, with presentations made publicly available and summaries, articles and briefings being produced based on non-attributable basis.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: STROKE;RESPIRATORY;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR