Anushtana: Scaling Implementation of Tobacco Control Laws

Duration of project
(2018 to 2023)

This is a research study that aims to understand how to enhance and scale implementation of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) in India. It’s been a more than a decade that the COTPA was enacted. It has worked in some places/contexts/settings better than in others. This study is an attempt to systematically understand how and why the implementation of this law has occurred across Indian states. The study will be conducted in five phases using quantitative and qualitative methods to map the implementation landscape and using theory-driven inquiry to draw lessons.

This study is supported through India Alliance early-career clinical and public health fellowship awarded to Pragati Hebbar.

1. Comic Book

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2. Scientific Papers

3. Policy Briefs/Reports

4. Blogs

5. Book chapters

  1. Bhojani U, Dsouza R, Hebbar P, Amin A, Varma A. Tobacco, health and regulation in India: A national overview. In Durojaye E, Murungi LN (editors) International Human Rights Law and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Lessons from Africa and Beyond. Routledge 2022.

6.  Workshops

Realist evaluation in health policy

7.  Webinars

The webinars provide a platform and encourage dialogue amongst researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and implementers to address and provide solutions to complex public health problems related to tobacco control especially the implementation of tobacco control policies.

These webinars specifically engage with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes, and aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP), its progress and impact on health outcomes, and challenges/barriers in its implementation across various states in India.

EPISODE 1: Youth and Tobacco Control Policies in India
EPISODE 2: Implementing Ban on Tobacco Advertisements, Promotions, and Sponsorship
EPISODE 3: Prohibition of smoking in public places – implementation experiences
EPISODE 4: Role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Tobacco Control
EPISODE 5: How Does Research Shape Tobacco Control Policies In India?
EPISODE 7: Head and Neck Cancer What? Why? and When will we learn?
EPISODE 8: Smokeless Tobacco – Determinants and Challenges in Southeast Asia
EPISODE 9: Advancing SLT control in India: recent developments, best practices, and challenges in implementation
Conference Presentations-We participated in 12 national and international conferences and shared our work through eight oral and poster presentations.

Anushthana Team

Past Members

Funding Agency

DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance

PhD promoters:

Gera Nagelhout, Department of Health Promotion, Maastricht University
(CAPHRI) Constant ‘Onno’ Van Schayck, Department of Family Medicine, Maastricht
University (CAPHRI)

Dr. Giridhar Babu, Head-Lifecourse Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) & Intermediate Fellow, Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance

Dr. Upendra Bhojani, Director, Institute of Public Health (IPH), Bengaluru

Collaborators:

Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, MS (Dental Surgery), Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai

Dr. Pratima Murthy, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

Dr. US Vishal Rao, MS (Otolaryngology), Member, High Power Committee on Tobacco Control, Government of Karnataka

Nikhil Gokani, Deputy Director, Law, and Non-Communicable Diseases Unit. Researcher, School of Law and Social Justice, Essex University, Liverpool, UK.

Mentors:

Dr. Prakash C Gupta, Director, PhD, Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public
Health.

Dr. Prashanth NS, PhD, Institute of Public Health (IPH), Bengaluru.

Fellowship Supervisor and Primary sponsor:

Dr. Upendra Bhojani, PhD, Institute of Public Health (IPH), Bengaluru.External Sponsor:

Dr. Sara Van Belle, PhD, Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Antwerp.

We launched Our Initiative Communities of Practice and here’s what you need to know –

The collaborative learning process of ‘thinking together’ essentially brings ‘Communities of Practice’ to life. COP is a group of people with a common knowledge base who come together for working on a common cause, share goals, ideas, research, etc. This model forms a new structure of knowledge sharing, while uplifting and aiding the existing structures.

The Key Focus

● Releasing a newsletter and sharing important updates/development around COTPA Implementation.

● Building a community for people working in this area and sharing relevant links and information via WhatsApp and Gmail groups.

● Releasing a short article/blog about communities of practice and their role in the healthcare sector, sharing our experience and how it has helped us in the 6 month period.

● Co-developing an intervention that can be applied across several states where the participants belong and review its impact

● Discussing gaps in literature and evidence needs amongst different stakeholders and attempting to address those through this community.

Check out our Newsletters 

  1. Case studies around COTPA implementation
  2. Discussion on Enforcement Related challenges