TOBACCO CONTROL IN URUGUAY 2006 ITC MEETING JULY 10th 2006 Washington; D.C.

Overview Uruguay has 3.3 million people; Tobacco consumption prevalence in 2001 Uruguay was 32% in population over 15 years old, and decreased recently; Actual Youth prevalence is 24.8%. And there’s a marked tendency for women and lower socioeconomic groups to smoke. Prevalence among physicians is 27%. Unfortunately 4,500 people die annually because of tobacco related diseases and 500 because of passive smoking. Tobacco is the leading avoidable and preventable death causing agent in Uruguay.

URUGUAY TOBACCO CONTROL ROAD (1) September 2004, the former Parliament Ratified FCTC. The 31 st of May 2005 actually Government did: Decree 164/05, raised specific tobacco taxes applying FCTC art.6; But… that same day… Decree 169/05 banned tobacco advertisements on TV at children protection time frame; Decree 170/05 banned advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products in sports scenarios and any public events. Decree 171/05 applied FCTC art. 11 and banned misleading terms like “mild”, “light”, “ultralights”, and imposed health warnings and images size have to be the 50 % of the total exposed surface in any tobacco box brands, and since April 2006, all brand boxes must have warning and images with clearly messages on active smoking and on passive smoking.

URUGUAY TOBACCO CONTROL ROAD (2) Applying FCTC article 8, Government implemented protection against 2 nd hand tobacco smoke in 3 steps: (a)Decree 168/05, 5/31/05, imposed that all smoking areas in restaurants, bars and entertainment places must be clearly identified with no connection with other areas of building and have their own separate ventilation and exit; (b)Decree 214/05 Banned smoking in all government & municipal offices, public service companies, and schools and universities; (c)Decree 268/05, 9/5/05, Banned completely smoking in all indoor public environments, like restaurants, bars and entertainment closed places of any kind, since the 1st March Today Uruguay is a SMOKE FREE COUNTRY, the first of the Americas and among of the firsts in the world.

URUGUAY TOBACCO CONTROL ROAD (3) Current Health Policy: Ministry of Health Advisory Tobacco Control Commission Ministry of Health Tobacco Control Surveillance Program; Implementation of smoking cessation and therapies for tobacco dependence: New media and poster campaigns; Free treatments for Smokers, in a progressive way, including nicotine substitution and Bupropion; Training health professionals on tobacco cessation all over the country. Forthcoming: Government begin the study for a comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, that is committed to apply before February 2010.

ITC Survey Status in URUGUAY Date(s) of survey Type of survey Description of sample How data collected Funding source(s) Future plans for additional surveys 1 Sep 2006Cohort 1W 1000 Adult smokers. Only capital city. [representativeness of Adult population] Households random sample Face-to-faceITC2W in 2008

THANKS, !! Dr. Eduardo Bianco Dr. Marcelo Boado This report is based on Public Health Ministry