Stakeholder’s Assessment of the Awareness and Effectiveness of Smoke-free Law in Thailand

BackgroundThis study reports stakeholders’ ratings, and perceived gaps in World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article ۸ implementation in Thailand viewed against WHO’s Guidelines for Article ۸ and to inform action in preparing the ۲۰۱۷ Tobacco Product Control Act. MethodsStakeholder ratings of Guideline provisions of Article ۸ on a three-tiered scale of implementation from understanding to effectiveness and efficiency were used to identify gaps in enforcement and compliance important to success in meeting Article ۸ goals. This stakeholder assessment occurred through a stakeholder meeting of ۵۵ stakeholders in Bangkok, Thailand in June ۲۰۱۶. ResultsThe average of all assessment ratings by stakeholders on an ascending ۰-۳ scale had a mean score of ۱.۶۷, which means the level of implementation for Article ۸ in Thailand was rated less than effective for enforcement. The assessment shows that the public understanding of smoke-free principles is also poor at a mean of ۱.۲۸, that there is incomplete effectiveness of smoke-free measures with a mean of ۱.۷۵, and only a general effectiveness that smoke-free protections are adequately covering most places with a mean of ۱.۹۸. More needs to be done to make all places compliant through enforcement efforts rated with a mean of only ۱, and that more is necessary for protection from tobacco-smoke exposure in other public places and in private vehicles with mean ratings of ۱.۷۱ and ۱.۱۴. ConclusionThis stakeholder approach using a three-tiered rating scale found that the implementation of Article ۸ in Thailand is still lacking. With this approach, stakeholders identified critical issues needing improvement and informed changes in the then-proposed Tobacco Product Control Act which later was adopted in ۲۰۱۷.

کلیدواژه ها:

WHO ، FCTC ، Article ۸ ، Stakeholders ، Thailand