Areas of convergence: recommendations of three agenda setting meetings
| Areas of convergence | 10th Word Conference on Tobacco or Health | IOM | RITC |
| Improve knowledge of the size and nature of the tobacco related burden of disease in developing countries | Put in place a surveillance strategy to track progress in controlling tobacco use and tobacco related disease. | Estimate the total impact of tobacco production and consumption in a developing country context. | Establish regional surveillance systems to provide baseline data on patterns and trends in tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality. |
| Establish the levels, determinants, and consequences of tobacco use at the local, national, and regional level | Track progress in controlling tobacco use; investigate the practices of the tobacco industry; study transnational factors in tobacco use; complement national with subnational and international research | Study the prevalence of tobacco use in developing countries; monitor tobacco consumption trends, especially in children, adolescents, and women | Establish regional surveillance systems to provide baseline data on the prevalence of tobacco use and consumption patterns and trends |
| Document and assess the impact of policies related to tobacco use, including health, economic, agricultural, environmental, and international trade policies | Identify the proper mix of policies through research; find a balance between research on prevention and cessation | Determine the cost effectiveness of community based prevention and cessation programmes | Document and assess existing policies and programmes |
| Build capacity for research and establish a network for communicating information, data, and best practices | Remedy the lack of a data gathering infrastructure, expertise and funding for tobacco control research; multidisciplinary research is key to effective interventions and policies | Train investigators and strengthen links between basic, epidemiological, clinical, and policy research; foster a problem solving, multidisciplinary approach | Identify stakeholders, researchers and research institutions and their needs; build capacity for tobacco control research, especially in non-health related areas; establish networks to facilitate information sharing, capacity building, and the development of multidisciplinary research teams |
IOM, Institute of Medicine; RITC, Research for International Tobacco Control.