In India, there has been no attempt to measure the implementation of World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3, which provides guidelines to address tobacco industry interference (TII). This study draws on a desk review conducted to assess the frequency and severity of TIIs and the government’s response, reported between January and December 2017. This study highlights that the government of India does not allow tobacco industry to participate in policy development. However, the industry interferes by collaborating with the government’s allied organizations. The tobacco industry has diversified as food industry in India, and directly or indirectly supports various government programs, by investing through their corporate social responsibility schemes. In addition, there are limited legislative measures to allow transparency in adoption of Article 5.3 guidelines across the country. Hence, the findings of this study underscore an exigent need to adopt and implement Article 5.3 at the national level in India.
World Health Organization. WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2019.
4.
GilmoreABFooksGDropeJBialousSAJacksonRR. Exposing and addressing tobacco industry conduct in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet. 2015;385:1029-1043.
FooksGJSmithJLeeKHoldenC. Controlling corporate influence in health policy making? An assessment of the implementation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Global Health. 2017;13:12.
7.
LeeS. What hinders implementation of the WHO FCTC Article 5.3? The case of South Korea. Glob Public Health. 2016;11:1109-1120.
8.
RaoNVBhojaniUShekarPDaddiS. Conflicts of interest in tobacco control in India: an exploratory study. Tob Control. 2016;25:715-718.
9.
OswalKCPednekarMSGuptaPC. Tobacco industry interference for pictorial warnings. Indian J Cancer. 2010;47(suppl 1):101-104.
10.
SharmaRLalPPandeyATripathiG. Stopping Tobacco industry interference (TII): bottom-up approach to achieve national policy on FCTC Article 5.3 in India. Tob Induc Dis. 2018;16(suppl 1):A95.
11.
AssuntaMDorotheoEU. SEATCA tobacco industry interference index: a tool for measuring implementation of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3. Tob Control. 2016;25:313-318.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Authority meetings. https://fssai.gov.in/. Published 2017. Accessed February 12, 2019.
FooksGJGilmoreABSmithKECollinJHoldenCLeeK. Corporate social responsibility and access to policy élites: an analysis of tobacco industry documents. PLoS Med. 2011;8:e1001076.
34.
KolandaiADesignSEBalderasWReyesJL. Tobacco Industry Interference Index. Asian report of implementation of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3. www.seatca.org. Accessed October 6, 2018.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
