title: Tobacco control efforts in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: achievements and challenges.
abstract: This paper reports a review into the current state of tobacco use, governance and national commitment for control, and current intervention frameworks in place to reduce the use of tobacco among the populations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and Yemen. It further reviews structured policy-oriented interventions (in line with the MPOWER package of 6 evidence-based tobacco control measures) that represent government actions to strengthen, implement and manage tobacco control programmes and to address the growing epidemic of tobacco use. Our findings show that tobacco control in the GCC countries has witnessed real progress over the past decades. These are still early days but they indicate steps in the right direction. Future investment in implementation and enforcement of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, production of robust tobacco control legislation and the establishment of universally available tobacco cessation services are essential to sustain and strengthen tobacco control in the GCC region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hassounah
authors.affiliation: St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rawaf
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Council of Health Ministers, Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Khoja
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rawaf
authors.affiliation: Council of Health Ministers, Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qidwai
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majeed
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D033161:Government Regulation; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008877:Middle East / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*