BACKGROUND: The tobacco industry has a long history of promoting tobacco products and undermining efforts to implement the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) throughout the world. This is the first known study that adopts a regional approach to analyze key health advocacy actions and arguments attempting to influence new and emerging tobacco and nicotine product (NETNP) regulations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
METHODS: Analysis of public documents including news sources and national NETNP legislation triangulated with public health advocate interviews. Application of the Policy Dystopia Model (PDM) to analyze health advocacy strategies regarding NETNP regulations.
RESULTS: NETNP legislative activity mostly occurred in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico and Panama. Health advocates engaged in four instrumental (action-based) strategies attempting to influence NETNP regulations including coalition management, information management, direct involvement, and access to the policy process and litigation. Health advocates concentrated on exposing industry deception highlighting industry funded studies, conflicts of interest and providing scientific evidence and countries’ experiences. Health advocacy discursive (argument-based) strategies centered on exposing increased NETNP usage due to aggressive industry marketing and argued governments should follow World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) mandates and its Conference of the Party (COP) decisions to regulate or ban NETNPs.
CONCLUSIONS: Applying the PDM regarding NETNPs provides a better understanding of how health advocates can preempt industry strategies to undermine WHO FCTC implementation. Unified transnational cooperative and coordinated health advocacy strategies utilizing modern communication platforms to educate youth and parents can strengthen efforts. Advocating for WHO FCTC mandates and COP decisions appear to be effective in helping to regulate and ban NETNPs and should be replicated elsewhere.