RESEARCH PAPER
A Delphi study for setting up tobacco research and practice network in India
| 1 | Public Health Foundation of India, Delhi NCR, Gurgaon, India |
| 2 | Principal Research Associate, Epidemiology & Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology & Health, Faculty of Pop Health Sciences, University of London, London, UK |
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Publication date: 2016-02-02
Tobacco Induced Diseases 2016;14(February):4
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Background:
There are key gaps in the production and dissemination of evidence-based tobacco control research in developing countries. In India, limited research has been made to address and understand the function, constitution, thematic areas of research of a research and practice network in tobacco control. This study aimed to identify priority areas that were agreed by stakeholders for building tobacco research and practice network in India.
Methods:
This study used the well-established Delphi survey, which involves asking experts a recurring progression of questions through a series of questionnaires. The study was conducted in two rounds in the year 2013–14. Experts working in tobacco control participated in the study. In Round II, respondents rated agreement using a five-point Likert scale. Interquartile Range (IQR) was used to calculate the strength of the consensus.
Results:
Experts expressed strong consensus on tobacco cessation and economic research as a focus areas for tobacco research network in India. Lack of funding was stated as a barrier impeding formation of tobacco research network in India by majority of respondents. A strong consensus was achieved on the fact that network can be sustained financially by Government funds (IQR = 1). Information sharing and capacity building of young researchers were the two major benefits as stated by respondents which achieved strong consensus.
Conclusions:
This study produced the first national stakeholder-informed priority area for developing tobacco research and practice network in India. The consensus priorities highlight the most important and urgent needs in developing research and practice network in tobacco control.
There are key gaps in the production and dissemination of evidence-based tobacco control research in developing countries. In India, limited research has been made to address and understand the function, constitution, thematic areas of research of a research and practice network in tobacco control. This study aimed to identify priority areas that were agreed by stakeholders for building tobacco research and practice network in India.
Methods:
This study used the well-established Delphi survey, which involves asking experts a recurring progression of questions through a series of questionnaires. The study was conducted in two rounds in the year 2013–14. Experts working in tobacco control participated in the study. In Round II, respondents rated agreement using a five-point Likert scale. Interquartile Range (IQR) was used to calculate the strength of the consensus.
Results:
Experts expressed strong consensus on tobacco cessation and economic research as a focus areas for tobacco research network in India. Lack of funding was stated as a barrier impeding formation of tobacco research network in India by majority of respondents. A strong consensus was achieved on the fact that network can be sustained financially by Government funds (IQR = 1). Information sharing and capacity building of young researchers were the two major benefits as stated by respondents which achieved strong consensus.
Conclusions:
This study produced the first national stakeholder-informed priority area for developing tobacco research and practice network in India. The consensus priorities highlight the most important and urgent needs in developing research and practice network in tobacco control.
REFERENCES (19)
1.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; Washington, D.C.; 2004. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/dat.... Accessed 10 May 2015.
2.
Warner KE. The role of research in international tobacco control. Am J Public Health. 2005;95:976–84. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.046904.
3.
Stillman FA, Wipfli HA, Lando HA, Leischow S, Samet JM. Building capacity for international tobacco control research: the global tobacco research network. Am J Public Health. 2005;95(6):965–8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.047183.
4.
Baris E, Waverley B, Prindiville J. Research priorities for tobacco control in developing countries: a regional approach to a global consultative process. Tob Control. 2000;9:217–23. doi:10.1136/tc.9.2.217.
5.
McDonald P, Viehbeck S, Robinson S. Building research capacity for evidence-informed tobacco control in Canada: a case description. Tob Induced Diseases. 2009;5:12. doi:10.1186/1617–9625–5–12.
6.
Research for International Tobacco Control (RITC). Bridging the Research Gaps in Global Tobacco Control: Report on the Meeting in Ottawa, Canada, 2002. Ottawa. Ontario, Canada: RITC; 2002.
7.
World Health Organization. Building blocks for tobacco Ccontrol- a Hhandbook. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004.
8.
Bayley EW, MacLean SL, Desy P, McMahon M. ENA’s Delphi study on national research priorities for emergency nurses in the United States. J Emerg Nurs. 2004;30:12–21.
9.
McIntyre S, Novak I, Cusick A. Consensus research priorities for cerebral palsy: a Delphi survey of consumers, researchers, and clinicians. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurolog. 2010;52(3):270–5.
10.
Reste JY, Nabbe P, Rivet C, Lygidakis C, Doerr C, Czachowski S, et al. The European general practice research network presents the translations of its comprehensive definition of multimorbidity in family medicine in Ten European languages. PLoS One. 2015:10(1).
11.
Rayens MK, Hahn EJ. Building consensus using the policy Delphi method. Policy Polit Nurs Pract. 2000;1:308–15.
12.
Novakowski N, Wellar B. Using the Delphi technique in normative planning research: methodological design considerations. Environ Plan. 2008;40(6):1485–500.
13.
Stillman FA. Capacity building and human resource development for tobacco control in Latin America. Salud Publica Mex. 2010;5(2):S340–6.
14.
Reddy S, Chaloupkaii FJ, Arora M, Panda R, Mathur MR, Sametvi J. Working paper series. WHO Meetings on Development of a prioritized Research Agenda for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2008, 2009, 2010. Geneva Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2010.
15.
World Health Organization. Research Agenda for Prevention and Control of Major Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). Geneva Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2010.
16.
World Health Organization. Joint national capacity assessment of the implementation of effective tobacco control policies in Thailand. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2011.
17.
Global Tobacco Research Network. Tobacco control needs assessment. Conducted in September 2009 for the Second SRNT-IAHF Latin America Tobacco Control Conference. Mexico: Mexico City; 2009.
18.
International Network of Health Promotion Foundations. Supporting the establishment of new Health Promotion Foundations: strategies for resource mobilization. Bangkok: International Foundation for Health Promotion; 2005.
19.
Hamann SL, Mock J, Hense S, Charoenca N, Kungskulniti N. Building tobacco control research in Thailand: meeting the need for innovative change in Asia. Health Res Policy Syst. 2012;10:3.
Related articles
