Monitoring tobacco use

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) requires its Parties to regularly collect and share national data on the magnitude, patterns, determinants and consequences of tobacco use and exposure.

Data are necessary to implement and evaluate effective tobacco control policies. Through continual monitoring of the tobacco epidemic, and of the interventions to control it, interventions can be more effectively managed and improved.

The WHO Tobacco Free Initiative seeks to improve the availability of national and global data on tobacco use, exposure and related health outcomes. In particular, WHO works with countries to:

• encourage the use of standards and scientific and evidence-based protocols for monitoring tobacco use among both adults and adolescents
• gather data for national and global monitoring of trends in tobacco use and strengthening of tobacco control policies
• make use of the data to advocate for strengthening of the policies that most effectively reduce tobacco use