A HEART HEROThe Olavarría Tobacco Free City programme won the 2010 Louise Lown Heart Hero Award. The programme, which was carried out in a small city in Argentina, combined a print, television and radio campaign with the implementation of smoking bans in all bars and restaurants, tobacco-related training of teachers, health workers and students, and the establishment of tobacco health centres. In the 4 years since the programme started in Olavarría the overall adult smoking prevalence decreased by 18%, and cardiovascular-disease (CVD) related in-patient hospital visits were reduced by 30%. Building public supportDr Raul Pitarque, the programme’s director, credits its success to the involvement and integration of businesses, politicians, health professionals, students and members of the community. “For over four years we helped our citizens to understand and internalize the health benefits of smoking bans,” he comments. “We worked through schools, workplaces and festivals, and with government and health professionals to gain the support of the community.” Bottom-up approachOlavarria is an example of the success of a bottom-up approach to tobacco control. Argentina produces tobacco in its northern provinces, and it is one of the few countries in Latin America that has not ratified the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Blocked by political opposition at a national level, Argentinian health advocates have worked to enact smoke-free policy in nine provinces and some 25 cities. Latin American tobacco control: progress and challenges“Smoke-free environments protect non-smokers, prevent children and adolescents from starting, help smokers to quit, and almost immediately reduce acute cardiac and pulmonary events and respiratory symptoms,” explains Dr Beatriz Marcet Champagne, Executive Director of the InterAmerican Heart Foundation and key leader in Latin American tobacco control. “Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Uruguay are now 100% smoke-free, and large populations in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina are protected by smoke-free policy.” Citing recently published data from the CARMELA study, which used standardized methodology to measure smoking prevalence in seven Latin American cities, she adds a note of caution: “Smoking prevalence remains high in many parts of the continent, particularly among the young. If we don’t extend comprehensive tobacco control to the rest of the continent and enforce it rigorously, Latin American urban populations will bear increasing burdens of tobacco-induced chronic diseases.” ProCor’s Louise Lown Heart Hero AwardThe annual Louise Lown Heart Hero award, given by ProCor, recognizes innovative and preventative ways to promote cardiovascular health in low-resource settings. Editor Benn Grover notes that he is “pleased to recognize the Olavarria programme team for their success in using a ground-up approach to build public support for and implementation of tobacco control policies in Olavarria.” Further readingMore information about the Louise Lown Heart Hero Award > More details regarding the progress of tobacco control in Argentina > | |||||||
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