Strengthening Local Capacity through International Research Networks

The need to develop national research capacity and to conduct policy relevant research is of increasing importance now that the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is in place in over 150 countries around the world. Conducting and disseminating research informs the policy and programmatic decisions required to implement the FCTC. For example, monitoring nicotine and particulate matter in the air to characterize secondhand smoke exposure is one research method that has proven especially useful for smoke free policy decisions. Researchers and advocates in low and middle income countries are in need of the tools, strategies, and networking opportunities to optimize limited resources and build needed research capacity. This presentation will discuss the development of a research network through the adaptation of a common protocol to monitor secondhand tobacco smoke exposure in women and children in 31 countries around the world. This network was used to conduct the research study, as well as to disseminate results and build capacity. In addition, this presentation will discuss an online surveillance toolkit on the website of the Global Tobacco Research Network (GTRN). This surveillance toolkit includes an interactive training on completing monitoring studies, features to generate a research protocol and an area to share study results and make comparisons across countries.