[Tobacco control at the local level: what drives municipalities to take action?]

Smoking remains a major issue in the Netherlands. Municipal public health departments (GGDen) and municipalities are playing an increasingly important role in tobacco control policies. However, it is unclear to what extent municipalities actively contribute to tobacco prevention. In recent years, we studied the role of municipal health departments and municipalities in local tobacco control. At the local level, there is a lack of conditions and incentives to prioritize tobacco prevention. To enable municipalities to contribute to national tobacco control goals and prevention, structural funding, clear responsibilities, and measurable targets are needed.