Gender-Responsive Tobacco Control: Evidence and Options for Policies and Programmes

The purpose of this report is in response to a request from the Seventh session of the Conference of Parties (COP7) to review the relationship between gender and tobacco, and provide evidence for gender-responsive tobacco control. Globally more men than women use tobacco, and sex-disaggregated data on the burden of morbidity associated with tobacco use shows a significantly (three times) higher burden in men compared to women. However, although comprehensive data exist to highlight sex-disaggregated differences in smoking and disease rates, the gendered-nature of tobacco use, associated ill-health and options for gender-responsive effective control policies are less well understood.