Network analysis of global tobacco control collaboration: data from the World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH)

Abstract

BackgroundThe World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) is held every three years to foster communication and collaboration on global tobacco control. Very little is known about the nature of interactions between WCTOH attendees and their linkages to tobacco control organizations, so knowing this information could help improve tobacco control efforts.MethodsAt the 2015 WCTOH, we implemented an online survey to assess barriers to global tobacco control activities, which information sources they use for tobacco control information, and with whom they interact regarding tobacco control.ResultsA total of 169 respondents completed the survey, with responses from all six World Health Organization (WHO) regions. Respondents worked in all areas of tobacco control; the most common were research (29.2%) and patient care/treatment (23.3%). The top barriers faced regarding tobacco control activities were: funding is weak (56.8%), government commitment (45.0%), tobacco industry interference (43.8%), and lack of coordination (34.3%). The network analysis identified Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) and Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) as the two most prominent groups that people belonged to and where they went to exchange information and best practices. Important regional and country specific groups also appear to be growing, such as the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) and the Argentinian Association of Tabacology (ASAT).DiscussionMapping and better understanding the global tobacco control network is important for informing knowledge exchange and best practices, particularly as increasing attention is being focused on global tobacco control efforts in low- and middle-income countries in particular.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrates that even a subsample of the WCTOH shows considerable collaboration. The full WCTOH network should be mapped in order to foster greater collaboration that has the the potential to improve global tobacco control efforts.

Mapping the African Tobacco Control Network

“…The specific research questions were drawn primarily from network-analysis studies dedicated to improving tobacco control efforts that have been previously implemented by members of the research team [15][16][17][18][19][20] and that were informed by participants of the 2015 World Conference on Tobacco or Health [20] as well as standard network research design. [21] Researchers at the Mayo Clinic, U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), Arizona State University, and University of Southern California developed the survey in collaboration with the WHO Regional Offices in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean and the Center for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA).…”

Rethinking the Career Landscape for Nicotine and Tobacco Trainees and Early Career Professionals

“…11 Similarly, with respect to nicotine and tobacco research, collaborative efforts to improve tobacco control efforts on a global level have been emphasized, especially in regions such as low-and middle-income countries. 12 Impactful collaborative efforts are also represented by The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (http://www.itcproject.org) which was initiated in the early 2000s as the first-ever international cohort study of tobacco use.…”