Tobacco control researchers among first-ever recipients of new award from CIHR and CMAJ

An Ontario-based initiative to measure the impact of public policy on tobacco use is among the first-ever recipients of the Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

Three principal investigators with the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC) received the award, which was established this year by CIHR and the CMAJ to celebrate outstanding Canadian accomplishments in health research and innovation.

Led by Dr. Geoffrey Fong, a professor of psychology and recipient of an Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Investigator Award, Dr. Mary Thompson, a professor of statistics and actuarial science, and Dr. David Hammond, an assistant professor of health studies and gerontology at the University of Waterloo, the ITC is the world’s authority on the effectiveness of tobacco control policies such as public smoking bans and advertising regulations.

Combining research methods from epidemiology, social psychology, health behavior, economics, and preventive medicine, the ITC group has been evaluating the impact of tobacco control policies on attitudes and behavior in 20 countries that make up over 50 per cent of the world’s population and 60 per cent of the world’s smokers, including China, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, Brazil, the U.S., the U.K. and Canada.

Although the project leaders are based in Ontario, the ITC collaborates with researchers in the U.S., Australia and U.K. This international scope allows researchers in one country that has implemented a policy in one country to share their findings with policy makers in other countries that have not yet implemented the policy.

For example, Canada was an early leader in graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging; in 2001 the federal government began requiring tobacco companies to place disturbing images covering at least half the package to illustrate the ways in which tobacco can wreak havoc on the human body. Research showing these labels are effective helped convince other countries to mandate them. More recently, research shows that the effectiveness of Canada’s current warning labels declined between 2001 and 2008. But in Brazil, which has refined its labels three times to enhance their impact, the labels continue to be highly effective. The ITC is now recommending all countries, including Canada, learn from Brazil’s experience and improve their labels accordingly.

In other cases, the ITC can use its international presence to develop powerful comparative research models. When Ireland banned smoking in public places and the U.K. did not, the researchers found themselves with an ideal design for a study of the impact of bans on public attitudes and behaviour: the countries are close to each other, their people share cultural similarities and, importantly, both have well-established pub cultures.

One year after the ban, the ITC reported that Ireland saw a dramatic reduction of smoking in public places. In addition, it found smokers and non-smokers alike widely supported the legislation. The study provided powerful feedback for politicians and public health officials, and has been the foundation for the many smoke-free laws that have been implemented throughout the world – including in the U.K.

Given the prevalence of smoking, and the well-established linkages between tobacco use and premature death, research that helps prevent tobacco use has the potential to save millions of lives. Over 100 million people died of tobacco use in the twentieth century. While smoking rates have levelled off in the developed world and started to decline in some countries, rates of smoking are still increasing in developing countries – which are also the most populous parts of the world, and the places where it is most difficult to deliver treatment for diseases such as lung cancer.

“The winners of this new award have placed a strong emphasis on translating their research discoveries and knowledge into innovations that have resulted in practical ways to improve health outcomes,” said Dr. Ian Graham, Vice President, Knowledge Translation at CIHR. “That’s a crucial test for health research; how can it make a difference in people’s lives.”

Recipients of the Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Award were selected by a peer-review panel of Canadian and international experts, who looked for the discoveries and innovations that had the biggest impact on the health of people in this country and around the world. A complete list of this year’s recipients and information about applications to nominate researchers for next year’s awards are available at: www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca or www.cmaj.ca.