Youth participation in tobacco control: From symbolic engagement to Shared governance
1
Issued Date
2025-10-01
Resource Type
ISSN
22799028
eISSN
22799036
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105019739866
Journal Title
Journal of Public Health Research
Volume
14
Issue
4
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Public Health Research Vol.14 No.4 (2025)
Suggested Citation
Rattanapitoon N.K., Thanchonnang C., Norkaew J., Rattanapitoon S.K. Youth participation in tobacco control: From symbolic engagement to Shared governance. Journal of Public Health Research Vol.14 No.4 (2025). doi:10.1177/22799036251390947 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/112882
Title
Youth participation in tobacco control: From symbolic engagement to Shared governance
Author's Affiliation
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Youth-led interventions are increasingly recognized as vital in advancing global tobacco control, yet their ethical and strategic dimensions remain underexplored. Building on the study by Karki et al., which demonstrated that youth-led awareness and advocacy interventions can positively influence adolescents’ attitudes toward tobacco products in Nepal, this letter highlights two key considerations. First, youth participation must move beyond symbolic engagement toward genuine power-sharing within decision-making structures, ensuring that adolescents are treated as co-governors rather than temporary campaigners. Second, attitudinal change should be situated within broader structural dynamics, particularly the influence of the tobacco industry. Without enforceable reforms such as taxation, advertising restrictions, plain packaging, and protection from industry interference, youth empowerment risks being undermined. We argue for an integrated approach that combines empowerment, governance, and structural reform to transform short-term attitudinal shifts into sustained intergenerational public health gains.