The broad objective of the TCP India Project is to evaluate and understand the prevalence and patterns of tobacco use and impact of tobacco control policies of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as they are implemented in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) participating in the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (the ITC Project).
Note: The name Tobacco Control Project (TCP) is used in reference to the India Project instead of International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project, used with other countries, because in India the abbreviation ITC also refers to the Indian Tobacco Company.
Longitudinal cohort study
01 Feb, 2017 to 31 Dec, 2021
University of Waterloo, Canada
A total of 2000 tobacco users and 600 non-users from urban and rural population sample were selected from each of the four states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar for the study. Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the TCP India project have already been executed. As a follow-up, in Wave 3 re-contact of participants recruited in previous waves across these four states have been done.
Dr. Mangesh S Pednekar, Dr. Geoffrey T. Fong
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta
As of September 2022
• Press conference on “Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project” was conducted on May 30, 2022.
This study aims to prospectively measure Community Tobacco Environmental (CTE) factors (i.e., objective assessments of community level compliance with tobacco control laws, availability of all forms of tobacco products including gutkha and e-cigarettes, and the presence of tobacco vendors and advertisements). The study will also estimate whether CTE factors are longitudinally associated with adolescent tobacco use initiation and trajectories
Longitudinal Cohort study extending over a period of five years
August 2016-December 2021
1)University of Michigan, USA
2)University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, USA
Dr. Mangesh S Pednekar, Dr. Ritesh Mistry.
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Dr. William McCarthy, Prof. Trivellore Raghunathan,
Dr. Namrata Puntambekar.
Approximately 2000 adolescents and their parents will be surveyed and followed up over a period of four years in two cities in India- Mumbai and Kolkata.
Longitudinal study of adolescent tobacco use and tobacco control policies in India.
Family functioning within the context of families with adolescent children in urban India.
As of September 2022
• Wave 3 data collection is completed and currently working on developing survey tools for Wave 4.
• All the tools (consent, scripts, and questionnaire) for Wave 4 have been finalized in all the languages (English, Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali).
• Community mapping has been completed in all the areas in Mumbai and Kolkata.
The study aims to identify effective strategies for broad-based implementation of the evidence-based tobacco control intervention (tested in schools of Bihar) that can be embedded in existing organizational infrastructures and can accommodate the realities of low-resource settings. The study will be implemented in schools of Bihar.
Intervention Dissemination
December 2016 - December 2021
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard School of Public Health, USA
University of Minnesota, USA
Centre for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, USA
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Dr. Glorian Sorensen
Dr. Mangesh S. Pednekar, Dr. Eve M. Nagler, Dr. K. Viswanath, Dr. Harry A. Lando, Dr. Jane Kim, Dr. Dhirendra N. Sinha
Cluster coordinators, headmasters and other school personnel in Bihar.
Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society...Self Help Guide
As of September 2022
• Transcription of the focus group discussions are completed.
• We are working on the data analysis from the gathered data points throughout the program implementation for the study.
• Two Manuscripts are under preparations:
1. Assessment of the ‘train the trainer’ model for the implementation of a behavioural intervention program for tobacco use cessation among school teachers of Bihar – A randomized controlled study.
2. REAIM Framework to evaluate the implementation of Tobacco Free Teachers – Tobacco Free Society Program in two RCTs in schools of Bihar, India.
This study investigates the relationship between carcinogen content in smokeless tobacco (SLT) products and relevant exposures as well as oral/head and neck cancer (OHNC) risk in users of these products, while concurrently building capacity for a sustainable tobacco carcinogenesis research program in India.
Laboratory Epidemiology
August 2017- July 2022
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, US
Masonic Cancer Center, US
Tata Memorial Hospital, India
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Navi Mumbai, India
Dr. Samir S. Khariwala, Dr. Irina Stepanov, Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Dr. Vikram Gota, Dr. Dorothy Hatsukami, Dr. Saonli Basu
Observed Circumvention of the Gutka Smokeless Tobacco Ban in Mumbai, India.
Patients with oral head and neck cancer and healthy smokeless tobacco users.
As of September 2022
• The web portal has been designed and is currently under preparation -which will display all necessary project information on the Healis website.
• A smokeless tobacco review paper has been drafted and circulated with the full team for review.
• Continued storage of tobacco product samples obtained from recruited patients as well as smokeless products collected as a part of the repository.
• Paper under process titled “The urgent need for product regulation and public education to reign in the deadly toll of smokeless tobacco in India.”
The study aims to measure the effectiveness of a worksite multi-component environmental intervention to reduce cardiometabolic risk in India and to evaluate the process outcomes. As an important way to translate CVD prevention efforts, worksite interventions can facilitate healthy food choices, health education, and social support.
Behavioural Qualitative Intervention
June 2019- March 2022
Yale School of Public Health, USA
Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Dr. Mangesh S. Pednekar, Dr. Donna Spiegelman
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Dr. Ashika Naicker
Permanent/Contractual worksite employees
As of September 2022
Following Intervention material finalized :
• Canteen and behavioural intervention (CB)
1. Diet and physical activity diary.
2. PowerPoint presentations of the intervention session.
3. Session handouts- pamphlets
4. Pre and Post survey
5. Session feedback forms.
6. Dietary inflammatory index (DII) questionnaire.
• Canteen intervention only (CO)
1. Posters.
2. Standardized tea recipe.
3. Healthy breakfast option list.
4. Traffic color-coded canteen breakfast menu
5. Calorie intake and minutes of brisk walking.
6. Sprout salad recipe (100 servings)
The study aims to tailor the Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society (TFT-TFS) program to the Madhya Pradesh (MP) context and develop a smartphone-based training model that is feasible for the MP Department of Education. Further, this study also aims to determine the implementation fidelity, effectiveness, and cost of in-person training vs. smartphone-based training for training headmasters to deliver the TFT-TFS program in their schools.
Behavioural Mixed Methods
September 2021- July 2025
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, USA
Harvard School of Public Health, USA
Madhya Pradesh Voluntary Health Association (MPVHA). MP, India
Dr. Mangesh S. Pednekar, Dr. Eve Nagler
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Dr. Glorian Sorensen, Dr. Gundersen
District Education Department personnel, cluster coordinators, headmasters, and other school personnel in Madhya Pradesh, India.
As of September 2022
1. Two visits to Madhya Pradesh in the period May-July 2022
a. Conducting KIIs with DEOs, FGDs with Headmasters and teachers and filling of Observation Checklist as parts of Formative research
2. Transcriptions and translations of the FGDs are ongoing
3. Identifying districts for main interventions
a. Working on teachers’ distribution as well as tobacco user teachers across 4 potential districts which will help in identifying the district(s) in which the actual intervention can be done.
The main objective of the study is to examine the perceived effectiveness of the text warning on areca nut products and compare them with mandated pictorial warning labels on smokeless tobacco products.
Cross-sectional Study
Jan 01, 2022 to Dec 31, 2022
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Dr. Namrata Puntambekar
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Dr. Mangesh S. Pednekar
18 years and above (only participants from Mumbai city)
As of September 2022
Following work has been completed in the past six months:
• Required assets have been purchased for the project
• Preparation of the script for the survey
• Preparation of the consent form
• Preparation of the training manual for field investigators
• Preparation of the sampled areas to conduct the fieldwork and drew the boundaries
• Preparation of the household enumeration form for the survey.
To study the knowledge, attitude, beliefs and factors related to COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy across Maharashtra.
Cross-sectional Study
Dec 01, 2021 to Aug 31, 2022
None
Dr. Khushbu Sharma
Dr. Rupesh Mahajan, Dr. Mangesh S. Pednekar, Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Mr. Sameer Narake
18 years and above (only participants from Maharashtra state)
As of September 2022
• Data cleaning procedures were carried out and final data set for data analysis was prepared.
• A total of 1102 participants had accessed the survey link and the final number for analysis is 873 participants.