Report on activities of the Tobacco control resource center in December 2002 – December 2006

Introduction

Since 1999 ADIC-Ukraine runs a web-site adic.org.ua hosted by GLOBALink and this site was used to propose various materials for public health professionals who read Russian.

Since early 2000 monthly NOSMOKING Newsletter started to be sent to NGOs and professionals interested in tobacco control. Based on the results of the above activities in late 2002 http://tobinfo.org and contact.tobinfo.org were established and a project ‘Tobacco Control Resource Center (TCRC) for the countries of the former Soviet Union’ was started with the OSI support. Two new newsletters were added: ‘We do not smoke’ – TC news in the countries of the former USSR and CONTACT – analytical information for tobacco control advocates.

Main activities

Tobacco control resource center (TCRC) was established by the ADIC-Ukraine to provide comprehensive tobacco control information in Russian to public health advocates from governmental structures and NGOs in all NIS countries.

1. Web site of tobacco control resource center (http://contacttobinfo.narod.ru) was developed. Currently it includes more than 2500 pages (html version) and 1870 (news) + 595 (other materials) pages in PHP version. Number of visitors a month increased from 1500 in December, 2002 to 9995 in December, 2006. As to the specific countries the number of visitors in this period increased from 200 to 1451 (Ukraine), 22 to 182 (Kazakhstan), 30 to 330 (Belarus), 20 to 94 (Latvia), 10 to 40 (Moldova), 22 to 55 (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan combined), 4 to 125 (Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan combined). We also need to note that in December 2006 for 1130 visitors from European countries it was not possible to identify the country.

2. The following newsletters were developed and sent:

Number of subscribers (at least one of newsletters) increased in the reporting period from 650 to 1263 (directly subscribed) and from 930 to 1287 (indirectly subscribed) or from 1580 to 2550 altogether.

3. The following books in Russian were prepared, printed on paper and published on the web:

5. More than 30 articles from Russian language media (from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries) were stored on the TRCR web-site.

6. Texts of recent tobacco control laws from the countries of the FSU region (Ukraine, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and others) and translations of some other countries laws, EU directives and FCTC text are published on the TRCR web-site

7. The following seminars were conducted by the TCRC:

8. The TCRC staff also was involved as trainers or lecturers into several tobacco control seminars and meetings in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia and Georgia.

9. TCRC representatives provided consultations for the Ministry of Health, the Parliament and Administration of President of Ukraine.

10. TCRC provided consultations for the tobacco control advocates in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus.

11. TCRC representatives gave many interviews to the media in Ukraine and other countries.

12. Reports on the TCRC activities were presented at several international meetings, including 12^th and 13^th WCTOH and the SRNT meeting in Prague in 2005.

Results of evaluation of newsletters of the Tobacco Control Resource Center for the countries of the former Soviet Union

The questionnaire was distributed in November 2004. By December 2004 answers were received from 35 persons. The following 10 countries and 23 cities were represented:

Azerbaijan (Baku); Armenia (Yerevan); Belarus (Mogilev), Georgia (Tbilisi); Kazakhstan (Taldykorgan, Shymkent); The Kirghiz republic (Bishkek); Latvia (Aluksne); Moldova (Kishinev); Russia (Dorogobuzh, Kazan, Moscow, Nizhni Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Ryazan, Saint Petersburg, Tver, Tomsk, Yaroslavl); Ukraine (Ivano-Frankovsk, Kiev, Kirovograd, Konotop).

Among the respondents 12 persons were GLOBALink members, three more had an impression that they had joined GLOBALink as well, but actually were not its members. After the evaluation 14 respondents who expressed interest in joining GLOBALink did so.

Overall evaluation of each of 4 newsletters was satisfactory. Five options of work continuation were proposed for evaluation.

Based on results of the evaluation, number or issues of newsletters in 2005 was slightly reduced.

The questionnaire also had open questions on use of the TCRC materials.

Some citations from the responses:

•We produced leaflets and brochures, based on your materials – Nadezhda, Kazakhstan

•On-line discussions are very important.  - Narine, Armenia

•We distribute your materials for local media – Sabir, Azerbaijan

•You are the only one who answers us. Your site is a treasury we can use. – Shohrat, Turkmenistan

•I use your newsletters for my work with journalists and NGOs – Irina, Moldova

•Your newsletters turn our activities into tobacco control field – Olga, Ukraine

•Thank you very much for your hardest work! – George, Georgia

•It would be great celebration of tobacco industry if the Resource Centre stops its activities. – Ilya, Russia

Population impact of the TCRC activities

As the TCRC actually works since 2000 we estimated changes of public opinion on tobacco control issues by results of national survey conducted in 2000 and in 2005 in Ukraine.

As we see the changes are rather positive and we do hope that the TCRC efforts contributed to these changes.