The global health and economic burden of tobacco use is enormous and is increasingly borne by low- and middle-income countries.” (Major Conclusion #1, Monograph 21)
The Tobacco Control Research Branch (TCRB) supports and conducts international tobacco control research on a variety of topics, such as understanding the use and characteristics of non-cigarette tobacco products, evaluating low-cost tobacco cessation interventions, and assessing the impact of tobacco control policies in distinct environments. TCRB also collaborates with a range of partners in building the evidence base needed to support global tobacco control and prevention.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer mortality worldwide, causing 25% of global cancer deaths and about 70% of global lung cancer deaths. WHO estimates that 20.2% of the world’s population aged ≥ 15 years were current smokers in 2015, and the prevalence of tobacco smoking has decreased steadily since the beginning of the twenty-first century. However, the burden of tobacco use is increasingly borne by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where over 80% of the world’s tobacco users reside.
Driven by the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 
, many countries are adopting new and innovative tobacco control policies. However, these changes are being introduced in different ways and on different timelines, creating a large-scale “natural experiment” with unique opportunities for studying the impact of tobacco control interventions across different environments. While a large body of tobacco control research has been generated in high-income countries, this work is only partly applicable to the evolving social, economic, and cultural climate of many LMICs. Expanding tobacco control research and research capacity in LMICs is crucial to reducing tobacco use and cancer rates worldwide. Furthermore, research conducted in countries around the world also yields important insights for understanding tobacco use behaviors and the effectiveness of tobacco control interventions in the US.
News and Highlights
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health Virtual Conference: Addressing Critical Gaps in Global Health and Development, March 12-14, 2021
- Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control, virtual event from May 6-7, 2021, hosted by the World Conference on Tobacco or Health
Since 2000, NCI has supported tobacco control research grants in more than 50 countries around the world. Grants are awarded either to U.S. institutions collaborating with foreign partners or directly to a foreign institution.
Currently active international tobacco control grants can be found in the international portfolio of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS).
Selected Active NCI Grants Focused on International Tobacco Control
| PI Name | Organization Name | Project Title | Project Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Carla Berg, Ph.D. | George Washington University | Assessing IQOS Marketing Influences and Consumer Behavior in Israel: Implications for the US | |
| Dr. Kenneth Michael Cummings, Ph.D. | Medical University of South Carolina | Evaluating How Tobacco Control Policies are Shaping the Nicotine Delivery Market | |
| Dr. Ritesh Mistry, Ph.D. | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor | Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Tobacco Use and Tobacco Control Policy in India | |
| Dr. James Thrasher, Ph.D. | University of South Carolina at Columbia | Evaluation of Cigarette Package Inserts for Enhanced Communication with Smokers | |
| Dr. Seth Himelhoch | University of Maryland at Baltimore | Optimizing Smoking Cessation Interventions for PLWH in Nairobi, Kenya | |
| Dr. Lisa Quintiliani | Boston Medical Center | Quit for Life (QFL): Smoking Cessation Among Chinese Smokers Living with HIV |
The following is a selected list of tobacco-related funding announcements open to foreign institutions. A complete list of current NCI Behavioral Research Program funding announcements can be found here.
Note: It is strongly recommended to speak with the Program Contact listed on the announcement to determine eligibility.
International Tobacco Notices of Funding Opportunities Open to Foreign Institutions
| Title | Announcement # | Expiration Date | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco Regulatory Science
|
RFA-OD-21-002 (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-OD-21-004 (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-OD-21-003 (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
February 15, 2023 March 9, 2023 March 9, 2023 |
240-276-5899 |
| Integrative Research on Polysubstance Abuse and Addiction |
PAR-20-035 (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) |
November 8, 2022 |
240-276-6706 |
| Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Dissemination and Implementation Science for Cancer Prevention and Control in Low Resource Environments |
NOT-CA-20-025
|
May 8, 2022 |
240-276-6871 |
| Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Alternative Nicotine and Tobacco Delivery Systems: Population, Clinical and Applied Prevention Mechanisms of Health Effects | NOT-OD-21-137 | May 8, 2024 |
240-276-5899 |
Other funding opportunities for cancer research in international settings can be found on the NCI Center for Global Health webpage: https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/organization/cgh/research-training
Archived International Tobacco Notices of Funding Opportunities Open to Foreign Institutions
| Title | Announcement # | Expiration Date | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco Use and HIV in Low and Middle-Income Countries |
RFA-OD-19-022 (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
January 8, 2020 |
240-276-6871 |
|
International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program (TOBAC) Read the TOBAC Program Review |
RFA-TW-16-003 (R01) |
October 14, 2016
|
240-276-6871 |
Smokefree.gov (NCI)
The Smokefree.gov Initiative offers free, evidence-based smoking cessation information and on-demand support to smokers who want to quit through web, social media, text-messaging programs and smartphone apps. The website Smokefree Español (espanol.smokefree.gov) is a Spanish-language resource for Hispanic Americans who want to quit smoking.
NCI Center for Global Health
NCI established the Center for Global Health (CGH) in 2011 to help reduce the global burden of cancer by supporting cancer control capacity-building and planning, as well as cancer research and research networks in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Institut National du Cancer (INCa)
NCI has longstanding collaborations in cancer research and cancer control planning with the Institut National du Cancer of France (INCa). NCI and INCa are considering ways to identify opportunities for improved collaboration and coordination of tobacco control research between NCI and INCa and to encourage connections between US and French tobacco control researchers.
International mHealth Initiatives
NCI scientists provided technical assistance to the World Health Organization’s mHealth initiatives (BeHe@lthy, Be Mobile ) and in-country partners, including contributing to guidance documents for SMS-based text messaging interventions for tobacco cessation.
Fogarty International Center
The Fogarty International Center is dedicated to advancing the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by supporting and facilitating global health research conducted by U.S. and international investigators, building partnerships between health research institutions in the U.S. and abroad, and training the next generation of scientists to address global health needs.
- Smokeless tobacco Olympics: the US Tobacco Company, the IOC and the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games.
Parascandola M. Tobacco Control, 2020. DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055333
- What is Accounting for the Rapid Decline in Cigarette Sales in Japan?
Cummings KM, Nahhas GJ, Sweanor DT. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17103570
- Changes in Smoking and Vaping over 18 Months among Smokers and Recent Ex-Smokers: Longitudinal Findings from the 2016 and 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys.
Gravely S, Meng G, Cummings KM, Hyland A, Borland R, Hammond D, O'Connor RJ, Goniewicz ML, Kasza KA, McNeill A, Thompson ME, Hitchman SC, Levy DT, Thrasher JF, Quah ACK, Martin N, Ouimet J, Boudreau C, Fong GT. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197084.
- Economic burden of lung cancer attributable to smoking in China in 2015.
Shi JF, Liu CC, Ren JS, Parascandola M, Zheng R, Tang W, Huang HY, Li F, Wang L, Su K, Li N, Zhang K, Chen WQ, Wu N, Zou XN, Liu GX, Dai M. Tobacco Control, 2020. DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054767.
- Smoking and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A 25-Country Analysis of the Demographic Health Surveys.
Murphy JD, Liu B, Parascandola M. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 2019. DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nty176.
- JUUL from the USA to Indonesia: implications for expansion to LMICs.
Orlan EN, Parascandola M, Grana R. Tobacco Control, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-054979.
- Secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy: a cross-sectional analysis of data from Demographic and Health Survey from 30 low-income and middle-income countries.
Reece S, Morgan C, Parascandola M, Siddiqi K. Tobacco Control, 2019 Jul. DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054288.
- Strengthening Policy-Relevant Tobacco Research Capacity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned.
Berg CJ, Thrasher JF, Barnoya J, Cohen JE, Maziak W, Lando H, Drope J, Mejia R, Foley K, Nakkash R, Fong GT, Kupfer LE, Sturke R, Parascandola M. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2019. DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nty117.
- IQOS point-of-sale marketing strategies in Israel: a pilot study.
Bar-Zeev Y, Levine H, Rubinstein G, Khateb I, Berg CJ. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 2019. DOI: 10.1186/s13584-018-0277-1.
Contacts
