This program provides

1. Analysis of smoke-free legislation according to international public health standards;
2. dissemination of smoke-free legislation lessons from the international public health community;
3. training courses on smoke-free campaign development, community mobilization, planning of implementation and enforcement of smoke-free environment policies;
4. training on evaluation of smoke-free campaigns; and
5. user-friendly guides for campaigns, implementation and enforcement of smoke-free laws. 

Over 35 topic areas are covered by the two courses that address scientific and evidence-based strategies.  

Focus:  The Smoke-Free International Training Program provides two (one-week) courses that include every aspect of strengthening smoke free legislation, implementation, and enforcement. The courses are offered in participant’s home countries or at the Santa Cruz, California-based International Health Programs (IHP). 

IHP also collaborates with the Institute for Training and Research in Family Planning (ITRFP) in Alexandria, Egypt, which is an ideally located facility for many countries.

The courses use a participatory learning model combining site visits, classroom sessions, and field experiences.  Participants will learn how to develop a website and public education program to increase compliance with smoke-free legislation. 

The two courses currently offered are:

1. Campaign Planning for Enactment of Progressive Smoke-Free Legislation; and
2. Increasing Public Compliance with Smoke-Free Policies.  

Participants or groups can attend either course, depending on the progress of their country’s or city’s smoke-free legislation campaigns, or attend both courses for a comprehensive step by step overview (from start to finish) of a campaign, implementation of a new law and enforcement for high compliance rates. 

Each course provides opportunities for individualized attention.

In Course One, participants have the opportunity to develop a plan to strengthen the existing smoke free law of their state, province, or country. 

In Course Two, participants have a chance to develop an implementation and enforcement plan that can be adapted to a local country or culture.

One or two day seminars covering these topics are also available for groups with limited time – these seminars are much more condensed, but can be combined with conferences or meetings.    

Who Should Attend:  Both of these one-week courses are designed for participants who wish to help their communities, states, provinces, regions or countries, to update, implement and enforce progressive smoke free public places legislation that provide the greatest health protection for the largest number of people.

These courses would be of particular interest to physicians, health care practitioners, hospital administrators, university public health and medical faculty, NGOs, government health ministry staff, tobacco control specialists, Ministers of Interior or other enforcement agencies, and others interested in implementation and enforcement of smoke-free policies.

Guest Speakers:  Guest speakers such as scientists from local in-country research institutes will be invited to describe how research findings are becoming increasingly relevant when applied to smoke free policy development and smoke free campaigns. 

Because faith-based communities have been an integral component of successful campaigns, we also invite clergy to speak about how to involve the faith community (Course One). For example, Islamic clerics will be invited to share their experiences and perspectives regarding smoke-free campaigns in EMRO countries. 

During Course Two (which focuses on implementation and enforcement), local law enforcement officials or judges will be invited to speak about how public health laws, (particularly smoke-free legislation) are enforced.  If possible, participants will also have the opportunity to conduct site visits relevant to the course and conduct community data gathering such as an air quality monitoring study in a local venue.