Marc C. Willemsen

Verified

Marc verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Marc verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• Professor
• Head of Tobacco Control department at Trimbos Institute

Background The retail environment plays an important role in impulse purchase behaviour. This study aims to examine the extent to which different sources of exposure to tobacco in the Dutch retail environment are associated with impulse purchases of tobacco. We investigate whether this association differs based on neighbourhood disadvantage, demogr...

Introduction Due to decades of decentralisation of public health policies, local governments have been given increased tobacco control responsibilities across European countries. Previous studies suggest that implementing local tobacco control policies is not without challenges (e.g., lack of resources and enforcement capabilities). This study inve...

Introduction Up to 40% of cancer cases could be avoided through effective primary prevention. However, cancer prevention tends to be fragmented across Europe, leading to geographical health differences. The dissemination and scale-up of effective primary cancer prevention interventions may address this. Although effective cancer prevention programs...

Background Local governments increasingly implement outdoor smoke-free environments to decrease adolescent smoking and denormalize smoking behavior. Recent research indicates that compliance with smoke-free outdoor spaces is often lacking. We examined compliance with outdoor smoke-free environments and examined the mechanisms that affect compliance...

INTRODUCTION Due to a continuing international trend of decentralization of public health policies, local governments are given an increasingly important role in tobacco control. The process of developing local-level tobacco control policies is an underexplored topic. This study uses grant applications as a data source to gain insight into the plan...

Introduction The public health impact of a tobacco tax increase depends on the extent to which the industry passes the increase onto consumers, also known as tax-pass through. In 2020, the Netherlands announced tax increases aimed to increase the retail price by €1 per 20 factory-made cigarettes and €2.50 per 50 grams of roll-your-own tobacco. This...

Background The cost of tobacco is one of the most reported reasons to quit smoking. The Netherlands increased tobacco taxes twice in the span of nine months: a €1 increase per pack in April 2020, and a €0.12 increase per pack in January 2021. This study examines to what extent people report to think about quitting due to the upcoming tax increase(s...

INTRODUCTION While secondhand smoke exposure in outdoor spaces has been investigated before, no data on outdoor secondhand smoke exposure have been collected in the Netherlands. Such data could help policymakers gain support for smoke-free outdoor public spaces. METHODS Between May and November 2021, we visited 25 outdoor locations across the Neth...

Introduction Professional behavioral counseling for smoking cessation can be delivered in many forms, which may not work equally well for everyone. We aim to explore in a real-world setting whether different delivery modes yield different rates of quit success and whether quit success varies based on gender, age, educational level, and being treate...

Background: When health promotion interventions are implemented, the gains are often short-lived, as interventions are seldom successfully sustained. The current study explores how and under what conditions community-level smoking cessation interventions for people with a lower socioeconomic position can be sustained, drawing upon interventions del...

Background The Ask-Advise-Connect approach can help primary care providers to increase the number of smokers that attempt to quit smoking and enrol into cessation counselling. The approach has not yet been implemented in general practice in the Netherlands. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a comprehensive implementation str...

Background The Ask-Advise-Connect (AAC) approach can help primary care providers to increase the number of people who attempt to quit smoking and enrol into cessation counselling. We implemented AAC in Dutch general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study we describe how AAC was received in Dutch general practice and assess which facto...

Introduction: The theory of 'family of nations' posits that countries draw policy lessons predominantly from similar countries. Lesson-drawing in tobacco control has, however, been primarily studied in the 'English-speaking' family. We examined in five diverse North-Western European countries whether the government engages in lesson-drawing regard...

Background The cost of tobacco is one of the most reported reasons for smoking cessation. Rather than quitting, smokers can use also strategies to reduce tobacco expenditure while continuing smoking, such as smoking less or using price-minimising strategies. The Netherlands announced to increase the price of a pack cigarettes from seven (2018) to t...

Background The 2020 European Union (EU) menthol cigarette ban increased quitting among pre-ban menthol smokers in the Netherlands, but some reported continuing to smoke menthol cigarettes. This study examined three possible explanations for post-ban menthol use—(i) illicit purchasing, (ii) use of flavour accessories and (iii) use of non-menthol rep...

Unlabelled: The Netherlands plans to ban tobacco sales in supermarkets in 2024. In a comprehensive policy evaluation, we aim to examine: 1) the impact of the policy on the number and types of tobacco outlets, 2) the impact on attitudes and behaviors of smoking adults and non-smoking youth, and 3) the influence of the tobacco industry on the policy...

Background and aim: The addictive potential of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) remains to be fully understood. We identified patterns and correlates of perceived addiction to e-cigarettes and perceived addictiveness of e-cigarettes relative to tobacco cigarettes (relative addictiveness) in dual-users as well as exclusive e-cigarette users. D...

Objectives News media coverage can influence support for and implementation of tobacco control policies. This research aims to analyse and compare newspaper coverage of newly implemented policies: a substantial tobacco tax increase, point-of-sale display ban and plain packaging. Design We conducted a content analysis of articles covering the three...

Background Little is known about smoking cessation among gender minority populations compared to cis-gender individuals (whose gender matches their sex assigned at birth). We examined differences between smokers from gender minority populations, cis-women, and cis-men in heaviness of smoking, quit intentions, use of cessation assistance, quit attem...

The Netherlands has moved towards the forefront of tobacco control in Europe, after having implemented important tobacco control measures in 2020 and 2021, which included higher tobacco taxation, plain packaging of tobacco products, a partial point of sale tobacco display ban, smoking ban on school grounds, and other smoking restrictions. We examin...

Introduction Cigarette affordability, the price of tobacco relative to consumer income, is a key determinant of tobacco consumption. This study examined trends over 12 years in individualised factory-made cigarette affordability in the Netherlands, and whether these trends differed by sex, age, and education. Methods Data from 10 waves (2008-2020)...

Introduction Behavioral smoking cessation programs are an effective tool for quitting smoking, yet remain underused by smokers. Proactive referral may be a promising strategy for healthcare staff to connect smokers to such programs. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the effectiveness and implementability of proactive referral of smoker...

Background: Effectiveness of tobacco taxation can be undermined through smokers applying price-minimizing behaviours rather than quitting or reducing consumption. Common price-minimizing strategies are buying cheaper tobacco [discount brands or roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco], bulk buying and cross-border purchasing. This study analyses trends in and...

Introduction To reduce the appeal of tobacco, the European Union (EU) banned menthol as a characterising flavour in cigarettes in May 2020. This pre/post-study evaluated the impact of the menthol ban on smoking cessation outcomes among a representative cohort of Dutch smokers. Methods Adult (18+ years) smokers were recruited at wave 1 (pre-ban) of...

Background If smoking is common within a pregnant woman’s social circle, she is more likely to smoke and her chances of succeeding in quitting smoking are reduced. It is therefore important to encourage smoking cessation in a pregnant woman’s social circle. Midwives are ideally positioned to help pregnant women and members of their social circle qu...

Background Smoking cessation assistance (SCA) can help smokers to successfully quit smoking. It is unclear to what extent hearing about SCA from a healthcare professional is associated with using SCA during a quit attempt. Methods We used pooled survey data from the 2016, 2018 and 2020 ‘Module Substance Use’ survey in the Netherlands (N = 5928). M...

Introduction Dissuasive cigarettes, cigarettes with an unappealing colour or displaying a health warning label, may deter young people from smoking uptake. Methods Two online surveys were conducted with non-smokers aged 12–17 to explore perceptions of cigarette appeal, harm and product trial. Study 1 was a within-subject study which examined perce...

We discuss progress made with respect to reducing the burden of disease caused by tobacco use within the WHO European Region and outline major issues and challenges regarding ongoing implementation of tobacco control policy. Although 50 of 53 countries in the WHO European Region are parties to the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC)...

Introduction: Despite the growing number of smoke-free spaces, many non-smokers continue to be involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke outdoors and on public streets. Both theory and research suggest that people living in densely populated urban areas are more likely to smoke than those living in less densely populated areas. Consequently, non-s...

Background Smoking is more prevalent and persistent among lower socio-economic status (SES) compared with higher-SES groups, and contributes greatly to SES-based health inequities. Few interventions exist that effectively help lower-SES smokers quit. This study evaluated “De StopCoach”, a mobile phone delivered eHealth intervention targeted at lowe...

Introduction Macroeconomic studies have shown that young individuals who smoke, and have a low socioeconomic status respond more strongly to price increases. Most of this evidence stems from research on factory-made (FM) cigarettes. With the rising popularity of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco, there is a need for studies on cigarette demand that disti...

Background Few European smokers receive professional counselling when attempting to quit smoking, resulting in suboptimal success rates and poor health outcomes. Healthcare providers in general practice play an important role in referring smokers to smoking cessation counselling. We chose the Netherlands as a case study to qualitatively explore whi...

Introduction: In most countries, public health partnerships exist to advance national tobacco control. We assessed characteristics related to tobacco control partnership capacity across Europe. Methods: We developed a tool to assess partnership characteristics related to their theoretical capacity to influence policy. The tool was based on an ex...

Introduction. An increasing number of parents use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes (dual users). Previous studies have shown that dual users may have higher rates of contemplating smoking cessation than parents who only smoke cigarettes. This study was aimed to assess the delivery of tobacco cessation treatment (prescription for nicotine replacemen...

A number of recent studies have found low percentages of smokers among COVID-19 patients, causing scientists to conclude that smokers may be protected against SARS-CoV-2 infection. National and international media were interested in this story and we soon began receiving questions about this topic in general practice. In this article, we shed light...

Tobacco retailer licencing has been recommended as an effective tobacco control strategy. In most European countries, however, retailers do not need a licence to sell tobacco products. We aimed to stimulate a discussion on the potential for tobacco retail licencing in Europe by describing (1) potential public health benefits, (2) licencing methods...

Introduction: Policymakers may sometimes be reluctant to develop policies for smoke-free outdoor spaces due to concerns about public reaction. In this study, we investigated the support for a smoke-free campus before and after the campus of a Dutch research institute became smoke-free. Methods: We conducted two surveys among employees to measure...

Introduction: Although recent research shows that smokers respond differently to the COVID-19 pandemic, it offers little explanation of why some have increased their smoking, while others decreased it. In this study, we examined a possible explanation for these different responses: pandemic-related stress. Methods: We conducted an online survey...

The European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) introduced a ban on characterizing flavours in cigarettes (2016), including menthol (2020). The longitudinal data analysis of the EUREST-PLUS International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project Europe Surveys (n = 16 534; Wave 1 in 2016 and Wave 2 in 2018) found significant but small declines in the weighted pr...

Background: The emergence of new types of tobacco and tobacco-related products on the European Union (EU) market has precipitated the possibility for both poly-tobacco use and transitions between products. In the EU, the regulatory environment has shifted with the implementation of the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in May 2016, which m...

Background: We examined quit attempts, use of cessation assistance, quitting beliefs and intentions among smokers who participated in the 2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Europe Surveys in eight European Union Member States (England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain). Methods: Cross-sectional data from...

Background: As of May 2016, pictorial health warnings (PHWs) showing the harms of smoking were implemented in the European Union. After one year they had to be fully implemented. We studied changes in awareness of the health risks of smoking after implementation of PHWs among smokers from the Netherlands, whether the trend before the implementatio...

Background: The EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe surveys aim to evaluate the impact of the European Union's Tobacco Products Directive (EU TPD) implementation within the context of the WHO FCTC. This article describes the methodology of the 2016 (Wave 1) and 2018 (Wave 2) International Tobacco Control 6 European (6E) Country Survey in Germany, Greece, Hunga...

In 2018, 22.4% of adults in the Netherlands smoked, and 3.1% of adults used an e-cigarette. Over 1 out of 3 smokers reported having recently made a serious quit attempt in 2018. This bulletin outlines key statistics on smoking, smoking cessation, tobacco smoke exposure, and electronic cigarette use among adults in the Netherlands in 2018. It is an...

Background: The Netherlands increased the tobacco age-of-sale from 16 to 18 in 2014, paired with mass-media campaigns. We evaluated changes in perceived accessibility of cigarettes between 2013 and 2016 among adolescent never-smokers in the Netherlands compared with Belgium, where the age-of-sale remained 16 and no campaigns were conducted. Metho...

In het kader van het Nationaal Preventieakkoord zullen gemeenten in de aankomende jaren meer gestimuleerd en ondersteund worden bij het implementeren van activiteiten in het kader van de Rookvrije Generatie (RVG). Vanuit de Rijksoverheid komt er in 2020 extra subsidie beschikbaar voor GGD’en om gemeenten bij Rookvrij Gemeente Beleid (RGB) te onders...

More than 100 of 355 municipalities in the Netherlands have started to develop local tobacco control policies. They often do this as part of the movement towards a Smoke-free Generation. This national movement strives to ensure that all children in the Netherlands grow up smoke free. It provides guidance to organizations and groups that want to mak...

Introduction Article 5.3 WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) aims to prevent tobacco industry interference with public health policy. The degree of protection depends on several factors: the interpretation of Article 5.3 by governments; the presence of codes of practice; and the effectiveness of industry lobbying versus public health...

Background: Our study evaluated the short-term impact of introducing European Union's tobacco pictorial health warnings (PHWs). Methods: Longitudinal data were collected at two time-points from adult smokers, participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys, conducted in the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and...

Introduction The relationship between work loss and smoking has not been studied extensively, and underlying factors are often not examined. The aim of this study was to test two hypotheses. First, work loss is associated with greater intention to quit and more likelihood of smoking cessation, and this relationship is moderated by a decrease in inc...

In 2016, the Netherlands was required to introduce new European Union (EU)'s (pictorial) tobacco health warnings. Our objective was to describe the pathways through which the new EU tobacco health warnings may influence quit attempts and smoking cessation among Dutch smokers. Longitudinal data from 2016 and 2017 from the International Tobacco Contr...

Objective To assess the attitudes of flavored and unflavored cigarette smokers towards tobacco control policies, including the EU flavors ban and to explore the ban impact on smoking behaviors. Methods The research analysis include data from Wave 1 of the EUREST PLUS-ITC Europe Survey Project in Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Spain...

Introduction: This study characterises smoking and cessation-related behaviours among menthol and other flavoured cigarette users in Europe prior to the implementation of the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) ban on the sale of flavoured cigarettes. Methods: An analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2016 EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys...

This study examined to what extent e-cigarette users noticed the European Union’s new legislation regarding e-cigarettes, and whether this may have influenced perceptions regarding addictiveness and toxicity. Data were obtained from yearly surveys (2015–2017) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Netherlands Survey. Descriptive statistics and...

Implications A debate on the adoption of a tobacco age-of-sale of 21 in Europe has not occurred, with the recent exception of the U.K. The current legally set age of 18 years is proving to be inadequate as adolescents continue to access cigarettes. Tobacco 21 laws have the potential to further limit access to cigarettes by minors. We believe that s...

European countries vary widely in the development and implementation of effective tobacco-control programs and policies. Why some countries lag behind others is inherently a political matter. National-level policymakers struggle between the need to protect public health and the need to recognize economic and ideological considerations. Within this...

Rationale: Efforts towards tobacco control are numerous, but relapse rates for smoking cessations remain high. Behavioral changes necessary for continuous cessation appear complex, variable and subject to social, biological, psychological and environmental determinants. Currently, most cessation studies concentrate on short-to midterm behavioral c...

Background Policymakers can adopt and implement various supply-side policies to limit youth access and exposure to tobacco, such as increasing the minimum age of sale, limiting the number or type of tobacco outlets, or banning the display of tobacco products. Many studies have assessed the impact of these policies, while less is known about the pre...

Background One of the factors influencing variation in tobacco control policies across European countries is the relative policy dominance of pro and anti-tobacco control interest groups. Scholars investigating this power balance have predominantly conducted single country case studies. This study aims to explore and describe the relative dominance...

Introduction: Tobacco tax policies have been proven to be effective in reducing tobacco consumption, but their impact can be mitigated through price-minimizing behaviours among smokers. This study explored the purchase sources of tobacco products and the price paid for tobacco products in six EU member states. Methods: Data from Wave 1 of the EU...

Introduction: This study explores whether current smokers’ social norms towards smoking and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) vary across seven European countries alongside smoking and e-cigarette prevalence rates. At the time of surveying, England had the lowest current smoking prevalence and Greece the highest. Hungary, Romania and Spain had t...

Objectives Existing evidence shows that co-occurring use of tobacco and cannabis is widespread. Patterns of co-use of tobacco and cannabis may change as more jurisdictions legalise medicinal and/or recreational cannabis sales. This analysis examined predictors of current cannabis use and characterised methods of consumption among smokers and non-sm...

Introduction: We compared smoking behaviors, past quit attempts, readiness to quit and beliefs about quitting among current cigarette smokers with probable anxiety or depression (PAD) to those without PAD, from six European Union (EU) Member States (MS). Methods: A nationally representative cross-sectional sample of 6011 adult cigarette smokers fro...

Aims This paper presents updated prevalence estimates of awareness, ever‐use, and current use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from 14 International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) countries that have varying regulations governing NVP sales and marketing. Design, setting, participants and measurements A cross‐sectional an...

Introduction: Tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) are known to promote tobacco consumption and to discourage smoking cessation. Consequently, comprehensive TAPS bans are effective measures to reduce smoking. The objective of this study was to investigate to what extent smokers are exposed to TAPS in general, and in various media...

Introduction: There is clear evidence that the use of cessation aids significantly increases the likelihood of successful smoking cessation. The aim of this study was to examine quitting activity and use of cessation aids among smokers from various European countries. Subgroup differences were also examined for sex, income, education, and age in e...

INTRODUCTION: There is clear evidence that the use of cessation aids significantly increases the likelihood of successful smoking cessation. The aim of this study was to examine quitting activity and use of cessation aids among smokers from various European countries. Subgroup differences were also examined for sex, income, education, and age in ea...

Introduction: Little research exists on the sociodemographic characteristics of menthol and flavoured cigarette (MFC) smokers in Europe. This study assessed the proportion of MFC smokers in Europe, their sociodemographic characteristics, and their attitudes towards tobacco control measures. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected in 2016 am...

Introduction: Little research exists on the sociodemographic characteristics of menthol and flavoured cigarette (MFC) smokers in Europe. This study assessed the proportion of MFC smokers in Europe, their sociodemographic characteristics, and their attitudes towards tobacco control measures. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected in 2016 among...

Population-level interventions represent the only real approach for combatting the tobacco epidemic. There is thus great importance in conducting rigorous evaluation studies of tobacco control policies and regulations such as those arising from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the European Union's 2014 Tobacco Products Dir...

Introduction: While studies have been undertaken to understand the adoption of outdoor and indoor smoking bans, not much is known about why implementation of smoke-free (SF) environments differs at local levels. As most European countries remain at the level of indoor bans, we aim to translate existing evidence into practical recommendations on ho...

Efforts to mitigate the devastation of tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality in the European Union (EU) consist of its newly adopted Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) along with the first-ever health treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The aim of this Horizon 2020 project entitled European Regulatory Science on Tob...

Objectives Visibility of tobacco products at the point of sale (PoS), in settings where open display of tobacco is allowed, is one of the last remaining ways in which the tobacco industry can legally promote their products. The aim of this study was to map the visibility of tobacco products and advertisement both inside and outside retailers, among...

Efforts to mitigate the devastation of tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality in the European Union (EU) are founded on its newly adopted Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) along with the first-ever health treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The aim of this Horizon 2020 Project entitled European Regulatory Science on...

Introduction: This study assessed characteristics and correlates associated with e-cigarette product attributes and identified correlates of experiencing undesirable events during e-cigarette use among adult smokers across six European Union (EU) Members States (MS) prior to the implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in 2016. Method...