Over STIVORO / De organisatie / English
National and international activities of STIVORO
STIVORO is the Dutch expert centre for tobacco control. Its mission is to promote the health of smokers and non-smokers, by developing and applying knowledge about tobacco use and addiction. It aims to substantially reduce the use of tobacco by means of a wide variety of evidence based interventions.
STIVORO conducts and coordinates research to support education on the harmful effects of smoking, carries out a continuous programme aiming to prevent smoking, and offers support to those trying to quit smoking.
It also advises the national government, regional authorities and other stakeholders on the effectiveness of measures and programmes.

National activities

Research and development
STIVORO has a long history of monitoring relevant information for tobacco control through the Dutch Continuous Survey of Smoking Habits by TNS NIPO. Monitoring is conducted among adults (15 years and older) and youth (10-19 years).
STIVORO also initiates and participates in national and international research on tobacco control.

STIVORO develops and implements several products and interventions:
  • interventions for health professionals for the treatment of tobacco dependence including education for health professionals how to treat patients
  • web-based interventions to quit smoking (e.g. www.destopsite.nl)
  • school based interventions
  • interventions to educate parents on the prevention of their children from environmental tobacco smoke "growing up smoke free";
  • self help material and health promotion material to inform about the dangers of smoking and how to quit

Our close connection with the professor in tobacco control at Maastricht University, and our close cooperation with other universities and research institutes are of great importance in maintaining high level of quality. Our 10 year vision on tobacco control can be found here (Dutch)

Campaigns
STIVORO organizes (mass media) campaigns on tobacco control. These can focus on smoking cessation, environmental tobacco smoke, prevention of youth smoking, implementation of the tobacco law and the health consequences of smoking. Three campaigns are organized by STIVORO in 2011: a smoking cessation campaign, together with the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF). A campaign, together with Trimbos-institute, to support parents in preventing their children to start drinking, smoking tobacco and cannabis. And finally, also together with Trimbos-institute, a campaign to learn youngsters how to resist peer pressure on binge drinking, smoking tobacco or cannabis.

Information
The website is the main source of information on tobacco and (not) smoking. Whether it is how to quit smoking, a school paper, the tobacco law, health effects of smoking, what’s in a cigarette, etc. It can be found online. Our national telephone line, based within STIVORO, answers numerous questions on smoking by email and smoking, too.

Treatment
A special department within STIVORO, treats smokers to get rid of their  tobacco dependence. The evidence based Telephone treatment is provided by professionals well-trained in smoking cessation. The output from these ‘real time’ personal contacts with smokers provide us with relevant information to use for our research and development department. We also developed an effective online treatment program www.destopsite.nl.

International activities


STIVORO is part of international networks in the field of tobacco control and smoking prevention, including the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP), the European Network of Quitlines (ENQ), Web-Assisted Tobacco Interventions (WATI), FCA (Framework Convention Alliance), Society for Reseach on Nicotine and Tobacco and GLOBALink. Together with the Dutch Cancer Society, STIVORO organized the 5th European Conference Tobacco or Health (ECToH) in Amsterdam from 28 to 30 March 2011.

STIVORO has also produced a report in English on the effectiveness of Dutch tobacco control policies compared to other countries in the ITC project.

Loketgezondleven.nl Bilthoven: RIVM, http://www.loketgezondleven.nl versie 2.3, 22 februari 2011