Resisting industry narratives: guidance to avoid tobacco and nicotine industry framing

Health Promot Int. 2024 Dec 1;39(6):daae143. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daae143.

Abstract

The tobacco and nicotine industry has a long history of endangering the health and wellbeing of individuals, populations and society, including Indigenous peoples, via dubious practices and tactics that continue today. These tactics include generating opposition, fracturing consensus, dehumanizing groups and minimizing the perception of harms from tobacco use. This article offers guidance for people working in health promotion and tobacco control to align with the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which includes Articles on research, monitoring and information exchange regarding the tobacco and nicotine industry. Recommendations are given to resist the tobacco and nicotine industry's narrative in health promotion, research, evaluation and publications. Holding the industry to account provides a further step forward to eliminating tobacco disease and death.

Keywords: human rights; language; public policy; social stigma; tobacco control; tobacco industry.

MeSH terms

  • Health Promotion* / methods
  • Humans
  • Narration
  • Nicotine / adverse effects
  • Smoking Prevention
  • Tobacco Industry*
  • Tobacco Products
  • World Health Organization

Substances

  • Nicotine