A Brief Report on the Consultative Meeting to Identify the Future Tobacco Control Research Needs in Bangladesh

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been actively involved in drafting and advancing a new legislative amendment. This amendment addresses critical concerns such as prohibiting E-cigarettes, discontinuing single cigarette stick sales, and eliminating designated smoking areas in public places. The initiative sought to address emerging challenges in tobacco control by pinpointing critical areas for research that will support evidence-based policymaking.
The meeting was gathered by the participation of 56 attendees, comprising representatives from various sectors, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Tobacco Control Cell, partners, and grantees affiliated with the Bloomberg Initiative, public and private universities, as well as non-governmental organizations.

Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan, Director and CEO of the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP), opened the meeting with an introduction, outlining its key objectives. Following his remarks, Mr. Mohammad Shamimul Islam, Team Leader of the JHSPH-BCCP Tobacco Control Program, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the Tobacco Control Policy Research Grant Program. In his presentation, Mr. Islam highlighted the core objectives of the grant program, detailing the phases of its implementation, expected outcomes, and key considerations for ensuring its long-term sustainability. His insights provided a strategic overview of how the program aims to contribute to advancing tobacco control efforts in Bangladesh.

The Tobacco Control Policy Research Grant Program evaluates proposals aligned with the WHO MPOWER package. To provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of its components, Dr. Syed Mahfuzul Huq, National Professional Officer at WHO Bangladesh, delivered a presentation on "WHO MPOWER" to inform the participants with its various components. He elucidated these components and supplemented his explanation with descriptive examples for each one, as detailed below:
M- Monitoring tobacco use
P- Protecting people from tobacco smoke
O- Offer help to quit tobacco
W- Warning about the danger of tobacco
E- Enforcing the tobacco advertisement, promotion, and sponsorship bans
R- Raise taxes on tobacco
A breakout session was organized to identify the forthcoming research requirements in the field of tobacco control in Bangladesh. Participants were divided into four groups, each assigned to address specific components of the MPOWER framework. Group A focused on "M"; Group B on "P" and "W"; Group C provided insights on "E" and Group D on "R" and "O". Following the group work, each team presented their findings during the plenary session.
