The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Thailand has two important tobacco control laws in place since 1992, including total advertising ban. One of the findings from the recent GYTS in Thailand indicated that 41% of youth in Bangkok had something (such as t-shirt, pen, backpack, etc.) with a cigarette brand logo on it. As a collaborating effort among Ministry of Public Health, Royal Thai Army, and Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, with funding from Thai Health Promotion Foundation, youth who attended basic military reserve training program were being educated about tobacco control laws and health, as a pilot program. The Royal Thai Army (RYA) training officers were impressed with the process and strategies in the pilot program. They requested the team of faculty members from Mahidol University to conduct capacity building workshops for them. Currently, two capacity building workshops were conducted for the northern and the northeastern regional commands of the Royal Thai Army Reserve. The feedback were mostly positive and training officers attended the program requested to have this workshop annually. Six more workshops would be conducted for the Central Command in Bangkok. The collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health, the Royal Thai Army, Mahidol University, and Thai Health Promotion Foundation positively indicated that not only Thai youth would benefit in this innovative tobacco control training program, but the training officers of the Royal Thai Army serve as a crucial element in expanding the program for Thai youth all over the country.