Table 2. Implementation status of best-buy interventions for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in seven Asian countries in July 2018.

Best-buy intervention	Indicator description	Bhutan	Cambodia	Indonesia	Philippines	Sri Lanka	Thailand	Viet Nam
Tobacco demand-reduction measures18
1. Increase excise taxes and prices on tobacco products	Total taxes as % of the price of the most sold brand of cigarettes was maximum 75% and above, minimum 51%24	Not applicable, as sale of tobacco banned in Bhutan	Total tax: 25.2% of retail price in 2016. Retail cigarette price affordable. No changes between 2008 and 2016	Total tax: 57.4% of retail price in 2016. Retail cigarette price affordable. Cigarettes more affordable in 2016 than 2008	Total tax: 62.6% of retail cigarette price in 2016. Cigarettes less affordable in 2016 than 2008	Total tax: 62.1% of retail cigarette price in 2016. Tobacco price affordable. No changes between 2008 and 2016	Total tax: 73.5% of retail price in 2016. Retail cigarette price affordable. No changes between 2008 and 2016	Total tax: 35.7% of retail cigarette price in 2016. Cigarettes more affordable in 2016 than in 2008
2. Eliminate exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in all indoor workplaces, public places and public transport	Compliance score for smoke-free environments as per WHO report.18 High compliance: 8–10; moderate compliance: 3–7; minimal compliance: 0–2	Compliance score: 10/10 in 2016. Not yet enforced compliance in cafés, pubs, bars, government facilities and universities	Compliance score: 5/10 in 2016. Not yet enforced compliance in restaurant and government facilities	Compliance score: 1/10 in 2016. Not yet introduced smoke-free regulation in government facilities, indoor offices, restaurant, cafés, pubs and bars	Compliance score: 5/10 in 2016. Not yet introduced smoke-free regulation in indoor offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars	Compliance score: 6/10 in 2016. Not yet introduced smoke-free regulation in restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars	Compliance score: 7/10 (score from 2013 MPOWER report25). Complete compliance with smoke-free regulation in health-care facilities, educational facilities, universities, government facilities, indoor offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars and public transport	Compliance score: 5/10 in 2016. Not yet introduced smoke-free regulation in café, pubs, bars and public transport
3. Implement plain or standardized packaging and/or large graphic health warnings on all tobacco packages	Mandates plain or standardized packaging or large graphic warnings with all appropriate characteristics	Not applicable	Mandates pictorial and text health warnings on packaging of cigarettes, other smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco, covering 55% of front and back areas. Two specific health warning approved	Mandates pictorial and text health warnings on packaging of cigarettes, other smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco, covering 40% of front and back areas. Five specific health warnings approved	Mandates pictorial and text health warnings on packaging of cigarettes, other smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco, covering 50% of front and back areas. Twelve specific health warnings approved	Mandates text and pictorial health warnings on packaging of cigarettes and other smoked tobacco, covering 80% of front and back areas. (Ban on smokeless tobacco.) Four specific health warnings approved	Mandates text and pictorial health warnings on packaging of cigarettes and other smoke tobacco, covering 85% of front and back areas. Ban on smokeless tobacco. Ten specific health warnings approved	Mandates text and pictorial health warnings on packaging of cigarettes, other smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco, covering 50% of front and back areas. Six specific health warnings approved
4. Enact and enforce comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship	Compliance score as per WHO report.18 High compliance: 8–10; moderate compliance: 3–7; minimal compliance: 0–2	Compliance score on direct advertising ban: 10/10; promotions and sponsorship ban: 10/10; indirect promotions ban: 10/10	Compliance score on direct advertising ban: 8/10. No ban on indirect promotions except on publicizing corporate social responsibility activities of tobacco companies	No ban on direct tobacco advertising in TV or radio, magazines, billboards, point-of-sales or the internet. Compliance score on free distribution ban: 3/10; promotional discounts on television ban: 0/10; non-tobacco products identified with tobacco brand names ban: 1/10	Compliance score on direct advertising ban: 6/10. No ban on promotions except appearance of tobacco brands on television or films (product placement) score: 9/10; indirect promotions ban: 6/10	Compliance score on direct advertising ban: 8/10; promotions ban: 5–10/10; indirect promotions ban: 6/10	Comprehensive regulations on advertising, market promotion and sponsorship, and indirect promotions (no score reported in 2017 WHO MPOWER report25)	Compliance score on direct advertising ban: 10/10; promotions ban: 6–8/10; indirect promotions ban: 6/10
5. Implement effective mass-media campaigns that educate the public about the harms of smoking/tobacco use and second-hand smoke	Implemented a national anti-tobacco mass-media campaign designed to support tobacco control, of at least 3 weeks duration with all appropriate characteristics24	No national media campaign implemented between 2014 and 2016	National media campaign implemented on television and radio between 2014 and 2016. Content and target audience guided by research, though no post-campaign evaluation was made	Media campaign implemented between 2014 and 2016. Content and target audience guided by research, with post-campaign evaluation	Comprehensive media campaign implemented between 2014 and 2016. Content and target audience guided by research, with post-campaign evaluation	No media campaign implemented between 2014 and 2016	Comprehensive media campaign implemented between 2014 and 2016. Content and target audience guided by research, with post-campaign evaluation	Comprehensive media campaign implemented between 2014 and 2016. Content and target audience guided by research, with post-campaign evaluation
Harmful use of alcohol reduction measures19
1. Enact and enforce restrictions on the physical availability of retailed alcohol (via reduced hours of sale)	National legal minimum age for on- and off-premise sales of alcoholic beverages19	18 years	No defined legal age	21 years	18 years	21 years	20 years	18 years
	Restrictions for on- and off-premise sales of alcoholic beverages by hours, days, places of sale, density of outlets, for specific events, to intoxicated persons, at petrol stations19	Restrictions for all categories except density	No restrictions	Restrictions only for hours and places	Restrictions only for hours, places, density and specific events	Restrictions for all categories	Restrictions for all categories except density and specific events	Restrictions only by place, density and for intoxicated persons
2. Enact and enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on exposure to alcohol advertising (across multiple types of media)	Legally binding regulations on alcohol advertising, product placement, sponsorship, sales promotion, health warning labels on advertisements and containers	Yes, except advertising on containers	Regulations only on alcohol sponsorship	Yes, except advertising on containers	Regulations only for health warning labels on alcohol advertisements and containers	Yes, except advertising on containers	Yes, except advertising on containers	Yes, except advertising on containers
3.Increase excise taxes on alcoholic beverages	Excise tax on beer, wine and spirits	Yes, except for spirits	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Unhealthy diet reduction measures22
1. Adopt national policies to reduce population salt/sodium consumption	Adopted national salt policies	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Applies voluntary or mandatory salt cut-offs on selected foods	No	No	No	No	No	Applies voluntary salt reduction in processed food and snacks with healthier choice logo. Mandatory regulation for food labelling in guideline daily amounts	No
Physical activity22
1. Implement communitywide public education and awareness campaign for physical activity, which includes a mass media campaign	Country has implemented, within past 5 years, at least one recent national public awareness programme on physical activity	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Health systems24
1. Member State has national management guidelines for four major noncommunicable diseases through a primary care approach	Availability of national guidelines for the management of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2. Drug therapy for diabetes mellitus and hypertension using total risk approach), and counselling to individuals who have had a heart attack or stroke and to persons with high risk (≥ 30%, or ≥ 20%) of a fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular event in the next 10 years	Proportion of primary health-care facilities offering cardiovascular risk stratification for the management of patients at high risk for heart attack and stroke23	Less than 25%	Less than 25%	Less than 25%	More than 50%	More than 50%	More than 50%	Less than 25%
	Availability of selected noncommunicable diseases medicines at 50% or more of primary-health care facilities22	4/12 drugs	3/12 drugs	11/12 drugs	4/12 drugs	11/12 drugs	9/12 drugs	2/12 drugs

WHO: World Health Organization.

Note: Affordability of cigarettes is defined by the percentage of per capita gross domestic product required to purchase 2000 cigarettes of the most sold brand.¹⁸