BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Tobacco use remains a critical public health concern in India, with significant morbidity and mortality despite government interventions. Challenges include limited inter-state knowledge sharing, inconsistent policy enforcement, and a need for capacity building among implementers, program managers, academician and researchers, and policymakers which hampered the effective implementation of tobacco control programs. Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (RCTC) was established in 2018 to address these gaps.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: To overcome these challenges, RCTC, provided centralized, organized resources tailored to diverse stakeholder needs. Key interventions included: formation of a national-level task force on tobacco control to strengthen collaboration, establishment of medical college consortiums for research and advocacy, capacity-building initiatives through over 75 workshops, webinars, and two online courses designed to upskill over 6,500 program managers and academicians, compilation of state-level circulars, policies, and legislation from 36 states to ensure uniform access to regulatory information and publication of four thematic books and 32 editions of Tobacco Free Times (bi-monthly newsletter), fostering regular dissemination of technical insights.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: The RCTC portal had more than 900,000 visitors from 110+ countries, and Google Analytics showed that there was sustained engagement through repeat visitors (42%) and an average session duration of 4.2 minutes, which shows the utility for users. High traffic originated from India (68%), followed by the U.S. and Southeast Asia, which underscores its global reach. Training programs enhanced policy enforcement and knowledge application, while the centralized repository streamlined access to regulatory documents, include establishing a Tobacco Endgame Hub to strategize long-term interventions.
CONCLUSIONS: RCTC’s innovative, multi-faceted approach highlights the potential of integrated platforms to navigate programmatic barriers and advance public health outcomes. The RCTC model offers valuable lessons for other nations aiming to strengthen their tobacco control frameworks and achieve WHO-FCTC goals.