Developing measures to prevent and control the electronic cigarette epidemic in Thailand

Abstract

This participatory action research (PAR) aimed to create and develop the measures to cope with electronic cigarette epidemic in Thailand by the process of planning, action, observation, and reflection. Data were collected from reviewing the secondary data, participating in meetings, observation, and questionnaire analysis. Target samples were selected through purposive sampling. It was found that the measures to prevent and control the electronic cigarette use in Thailand include knowledge management, public awareness, surveillance and law enforcement, social movement, and policy and legislation to prohibit electronic cigarettes. After the implementation of the 5 measures to control the electronic cigarette epidemic, there was a clear change for the better. Many agencies had evidently joined forces to control the electronic cigarette epidemic. Though the implementation efforts, the effectiveness of the measures had not yet been evaluated. Therefore, the implementation success of the 5 measures to cope with the electronic cigarette epidemic should be continuously monitored in short, medium, and long terms in order to increase the effectiveness of the control measures.