Regulation for chronic disease control: the pathfinder role of tobacco.

Regulation for health in the modern era has its foundations in the English Public Health Act of 1848. Early legislation was concerned with controlling environmental causes of disease. However, the focus on regulation today within health departments has diminished, displaced by a focus on services and related programs. The regulatory debate is now centred on what degree of protection, or safety margin, is required, and how regulatory efficiency may be improved. The example of tobacco control is reviewed to show how regulation can play a large role in chronic disease control, and consideration given to how regulatory tools could be further diversified and regulatory effectiveness improved.