The Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), a collaborating center of the World Health Organization (WHO), has co-led with Imperial College London the publication of a new scientific article proposing an innovative framework to assess territories’ readiness to achieve a tobacco-free future (Tobacco Endgame).
The study, led by researcher Ariadna Feliu and published in the journal Tobacco Control, presents a practical tool to help governments and decision-makers design and implement strategies aimed at reducing smoking prevalence to below 5%.
Despite the progress made in recent decades thanks to tobacco control policies, many countries have reached a plateau in reducing consumption, with prevalence levels remaining between 15% and 25%. This context has driven the concept of the tobacco endgame, which proposes a paradigm shift: moving from reducing smoking to virtually eliminating it, through structural, social, and policy measures that deeply transform the context in which consumption occurs.
An innovative tool for decision-making
The paper introduces the Assessment of Readiness for Tobacco Endgame (ARTE), an evidence-based self-assessment tool that allows territories to analyze their level of readiness to implement endgame strategies. This tool helps identify strengths and gaps and guides the planning of more ambitious and context-adapted policies. The research team’s analysis identified nine key domains that influence this readiness:
- Low smoking prevalence or sustained reduction
- Advanced implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
- Strong policy implementation infrastructures
- Social denormalization of tobacco use
- Public support and understanding
- Political leadership and institutional commitment
- A cohesive tobacco control community
- Protection from industry interference
- Sufficient resources to implement policies
According to the authors, readiness for the endgame should be understood as a dynamic and context-specific process in which different factors interact and reinforce one another. The ARTE tool is proposed as a practical guide to support the transition from “vision” to “action,” helping accelerate the adoption of innovative and effective policies to move toward the end of the tobacco epidemic.