The workshop, which was held from 29 November to 1 December 2011, brought together senior academics such as deans, vice-chancellors and department heads from Bangladesh, China, India and Indonesia, to discuss and plan how to implement, strengthen and expand tobacco control education in their universities. The workshop provided them with an opportunity to work with staff and consultants from The Union's Department of Tobacco Control and Department of Lung Health and Non-Communicable Diseases and two external consultants from the University of New South Wales and the University of Minnesota.
Day One of the workshop provided updates on tobacco control, in particular the WHO FCTC and MPOWER. Day Two explored how MPOWER-based tobacco control education can be and should be integrated into university-level medical and nursing curricula with examples of different teaching approaches, and a mixture of plenary and small group work. Day Three involved participants beginning to draft action plans for
their universities and strategising in their country groups about how to expand tobacco control education in their own countries.
Participants reported that after the workshop they felt better equipped to integrate MPOWER-based tobacco control into their curricula. They also appreciated working with academics from different countries and learning from their experiences.
Over the next year, The Union will continue to provide advice and support to participants. Participants will also share news about progress and change in their own universities as well as their strategies for mobilising others in their countries to take up and expand MPOWER-based tobacco control education.
The workshop was held in Singapore, with travel and logistics organised by The Union Asia Pacific Office.
* MPOWER is a package of six strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for country-level implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: M = Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies; P = Protect people from tobacco smoke; O = Offer help to quit tobacco use; W = Warn about the dangers of tobacco; E = Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; R = Raise taxes on tobacco.