Abstract
Background: This study reports stakeholders’ ratings, and perceived gaps in World Health Organization’s (WHO)
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 8 implementation in Thailand viewed against WHO’s
Guidelines for Article 8 and to inform action in preparing the 2017 Tobacco Product Control Act.
Methods: Stakeholder ratings of Guideline provisions of Article 8 on a three-tiered scale of implementation from
understanding to effectiveness and efficiency were used to identify gaps in enforcement and compliance important
to success in meeting Article 8 goals. This stakeholder assessment occurred through a stakeholder meeting of 55
stakeholders in Bangkok, Thailand in June 2016.
Results: The average of all assessment ratings by stakeholders on an ascending 0-3 scale had a mean score of 1.67, which
means the level of implementation for Article 8 in Thailand was rated less than effective for enforcement. The assessment
shows that the public understanding of smoke-free principles is also poor at a mean of 1.28, that there is incomplete
effectiveness of smoke-free measures with a mean of 1.75, and only a general effectiveness that smoke-free protections
are adequately covering most places with a mean of 1.98. More needs to be done to make all places compliant through
enforcement efforts rated with a mean of only 1, and that more is necessary for protection from tobacco-smoke exposure
in other public places and in private vehicles with mean ratings of 1.71 and 1.14.
Conclusion: This stakeholder approach using a three-tiered rating scale found that the implementation of Article 8 in
Thailand is still lacking. With this approach, stakeholders identified critical issues needing improvement and informed
changes in the then-proposed Tobacco Product Control Act which later was adopted in 2017.