Policymakers' concerns linking tobacco and Indigenous communities in India: A qualitative analysis of parliamentary questions (1952-2022).

ABSTRACT: Tobacco use and associated disease burden remain high among Indigenous communities in India. Despite an overall decline in tobacco consumption over the last few decades, the social disparities in tobacco use have widened, with Indigenous communities experiencing the least decline. Existing tobacco control policies lack specific considerations for Indigenous communities. Hence, as part of a broader research initiative focusing on the health of Indigenous communities, we explored how parliamentarians in India have framed their concerns about tobacco in reference to Indigenous communities over time. We sourced digital transcripts of exchanges (parliamentarians asking questions and ministers responding to them) as part of the Question Hour sessions in the lower- and upper-houses of the Indian

SUBMITTER: Das SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12931741 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature