The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Initiated by the Ministry of Health and two non-governmental partners a public private partnership (PPP) with 25 organisations was formed in The Netherlands to target reductions in smoking behavior and to stimulate smoking cessation treatment. The study evaluated structure, process and outcomes of the first three years.

Methods: Data gathering methods included review of documents, structured questionnaires completed by the partners, and semi-structured interviews with the initiators and the co-ordinator of the PPP. Theory-based hypotheses were tested in addition to a descriptive analysis of stakeholders' expectations and views.

Results: Structure. The PPP was structured as a public sector program with private sector participation, with the autonomy of partners guaranteed and independence of commercial partners in normative matters. The initiators dominated the activities of the PPP with an international advisor having a central role and exerting informal leadership. Overall, the partners were positive about this structure. Process. Less than one third would have participated if the pharmaceutical companies had initiated the PPP instead of the Ministry. In general, partners wanted more formal participation with membership contracts as well as more active involvement of all partners. Outcomes. Nine tenths of partners considered their investment in the PPP worth the costs. Two of the six intermediate goals were attained: national guideline development for treatment of tobacco dependence and strategy development. Furthermore research was undertaken on: availability of services, availability of education for health care providers, client perspectives and cost effectiveness of treatment options. Consequences for leadership and public private collaboration in future will be discussed.