BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Intersectoral collaboration is vital to addressing complex public health challenges and achieving health equity including tobacco control. However, policy implementation has predominantly been led by the health sector, despite the cross-cutting nature of tobacco control policies that require active involvement from diverse departments such as police, urban development, excise, education, and civil society. In India, the varied administrative structures across states contribute to differing levels of understanding and engagement among stakeholders in implementing tobacco control policies.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: In order to understand what worked in which state and under what circumstances, we conducted two regional consultations covering 20 Indian states and brought together stakeholders as part of a realist evaluation in an implementation research study titled ANUSHTHANA. Through these consultations we aimed to identify challenges, share best practices, and enhance inter-sectoral coordination in the implementation of tobacco control policies. Stakeholder mapping was undertaken using official databases and civil society networks to ensure comprehensive and mixed, even ensuring gender balance representation.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: The first consultation, involving 39 stakeholders from 9 southern states was conducted virtually and the second in a hybrid format, with 20 participants from northern and northeastern states. Stakeholders included representatives from health, education, police, and food safety departments, academia, and civil society organizations. The consultations provided a platform for stakeholder engagement through focus group discussions cantered on awareness, enforcement, intersectoral coordination, and tobacco industry interference. Key outcomes included identification of implementation barriers, facilitation of interdepartmental knowledge exchange, and development of a Communities of Practice (CoP) to sustain collaborative efforts. Overall, 90 stakeholders from 20 states participated, contributing actionable insights and strengthening multi-sectoral partnerships.
CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco control is one public health aspect that requires dire attention from various stakeholders. The consultation helped in understanding that policy implementation around tobacco control do not work uniformly in all political and administrative settings.