Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) is an addiction for millions of people worldwide, and research indicates its increasing use by young individuals in many countries. Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) is consumed in the unburnt form, either orally or nasally, and is commonly known as chewing tobacco, oral tobacco, spit or spitting tobacco, dip, chew, or snuff. Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) consumption involves chewing tobacco, often along with betel quid (betel leaf, areca nut, lime, and catechu). This is one of the most common addictions globally, particularly in the South-East Asia Region. The 11 countries in the South-East Asia Region have over 290 million Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) users, which is nearly 80% of the global number of users Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) users outnumber the estimated number of smokers in the Region.

The health impacts of smokeless tobacco are well documented and are known to cause a variety of cancers, including oral, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer. Given the growing socio-economic and health concerns related to Smokeless Tobacco (SLT), particularly in low and lower-middle-income countries, a need for research on various aspects, including effective regulation of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) use, has been highlighted in various sessions of the Conference of Parties (COP) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Given the high burden of smokeless tobacco use in India and its efforts to effectively regulate smokeless tobacco use, the Convention Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India established the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT), in line with the mandate given to it at the Sixth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC COP (FCTC /COP 6(8)) on 6th April, 2016.

The WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT) is housed at ICMR- NICPR (National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research). The primary objective of WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT) is to assist Parties in improving smokeless tobacco control in consultation with WHO FCTC Secretariat. The WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT) collects and generates evidence on different aspects of smokeless tobacco (SLT) to inform policy for control of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT). The hub may take the help of other agencies in this exercise.

WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT) has a dedicated infrastructural setup and staff for smooth functioning. The Director ICMR- NICPR supervises the consultants/experts and allied staff of the Hub. The entire team collectively functions to develop the knowledge base and to use data mining tools for developing and implementing virtual network platforms for sharing data and expertise in their respective domains.

The Hub is also involved in disseminating the produced material via varied channels to relevant stakeholders (via the web portal, consultations at request, training, workshops, and conferences, etc) The WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT) has also developed a searchable web portal of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) -related information such as epidemiology, manufacturing process, health effects, product constituents, prevention and control policies, population-based cessation interventions, etc.

SMOKELESS TOBACCO (SLT_HUB_BROCHURE

1. National Cancer Institute, USA. Factsheet. Smokeless tobacco and Cancer. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/smokeless-fact-sheet#q1, accessed on 10/12/17