The low- and middle-income countries of the world face a rising threat to public health from the rapidly escalating epidemic of tobacco use. Through Fogarty International Center funding (grant no. RO1-HL73699), the IGTC sets forth a broad strategy for tobacco control research and capacity building in Asia and Latin America. Our overall goal is to establish a network of tobacco control researchers who can work individually and collaboratively to carry out tobacco control research, who can use the resulting evidence to effect policy and behavioral change, and who can also enhance capacity for tobacco control research in their own regions. This goal will be reached by focusing on developing research infrastructure in epidemiology and surveillance, and developing behavioral and community interventions with the ultimate goal of advancing the tobacco control policy agendas in China, Mexico and Brazil. China - Determine the smoking prevalence, and level of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in rural China
- Develop a community-based SHS intervention model in rural schools, hospitals, homes and communities
Brazil - Conduct the Non-Communicable Disease and Risk Factor Survey
- Conduct studies to determine the prevalence of smoking, and factors associated with smoking initiation in adolescents and young adults in cities across Brazil
Mexico - Conduct studies to assess mortality attributable to tobacco use as well as to estimate medical costs associated with major tobacco-related diseases
- Conduct studies on income and household expenditures on tobacco
- Conduct surveillance of tobacco products and point of purchase marketing and product packing and labeling
Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
Stillman F, Yang G, Figueiredo V, Hernandez-Avila M, Samet J. Building capacity for tobacco control research and policy. Tob Control. 2006 Jun;15 Suppl 1:i18-23. See article Lando HA, Borrelli B, Klein LC, Waverley LP, Stillman FA, Kassel JD, Warner KE. The landscape in global tobacco control research: a guide to gaining a foothold. Am J Public Health 2005 Jun;95(6):939-45. See article | 
