Introduction to Module 3

Welcome to the third module of this course. This module introduces the foundations of tobacco harm reduction (THR) and its relevance to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It explains what THR means, the continuum of risk of different tobacco products, and why safer nicotine products (SNPs) offer a pragmatic path to reducing the health burden of smoking.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Define tobacco harm reduction and describe its guiding principles.
• Explain the scientific rationale for THR, including the risk continuum and relative risks of major nicotine product categories.
• Evaluate the evidence on the effectiveness of safer nicotine products (SNPs) for smoking cessation.
• Interpret real-world population evidence linking uptake of SNPs to declines in cigarette smoking.
• Assess the limitations of abstinence-only tobacco control strategies in resource-limited contexts.
• Identify and counter common myths and misconceptions about THR relevant to LMICs.
• Discuss the ethical and practical debates surrounding the adoption of THR policies in LMICs.
• Apply THR concepts to your own country context by mapping product availability and identifying policy or knowledge gaps.