Comprehensive approaches to tobacco use control

This essay suggests approaches to two issues of importance to the future of tobacco use control research. First, there is need to identify those areas of tobacco use prevention and cessation research which have evolved to the point where additional investigation would only bring incremental gains. The reduction potential of this research should then be consolidated by applying existing, effective interventions widely and systematically. Conversely, there is need to identify those areas in which additional research is necessary. Second, the most logical way to reach agreement on those areas which are ready to move from research to applications-of-research is, with the co-operation and advice of the research community, through the large funding organizations which have supported this research over the past 2 decades. It is these organizations which, once the most effective interventions are identified, are capable of supporting the centrally-planned, consensus-driven, comprehensive approaches to tobacco use control which will be necessary to continued success in reducing tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in the industrialized world and to begin addressing the growing problems of tobacco use in the developing world.