Health and Social Factors Related to Tobacco Cultivation: a Literature Review

Abstract

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC, is a
framework of an agreement aimed at protecting the population from the harmful effects of tobacco consumption
and secondhand smoke exposure. Thailand as one of the countries that participated in ratifying
this framework and need to respond by achieving the specified goals. In the past, it has been found that
Thailand still has limited empirical evidence related to Article 18 on environmental protection and the
health of individuals related to tobacco cultivation and production. This article aimed to review original
research articles on the impact of tobacco cultivation both internationally and domestically, and identify
research gaps in Thailand by collecting data from research articles related to the WHO FCTC Article 18
published in electronic databases generated 559 articles. There were 37 articles met the criteria for inclusion
in the final analysis. The study concluded that all original research articles focus on four main areas
which include physical health impacts, mental health impacts, quality of life impacts, and environmental
impacts. In Thailand, there was a lack of research on the mental health impacts of tobacco farmers and
environmental impacts. These research gaps may lead to a lack of comprehensive empirical evidence that
is a concrete result of tobacco cultivation and production in Thailand. Therefore, the Tobacco Control
Research and Knowledge Management Center should prioritize research topics that are still missing to
address these research gaps in the future.