Effectiveness of a capacity-building training for knowledge and practices of tobacco control and oral cancer prevention: a pre-post study from rural northern India

BACKGROUND: Smokeless tobacco products and areca nut, widely used in Uttar Pradesh, are strongly associated with oral cancer, which ranks among the top three cancers in India. Data from the Population-Based Cancer Registry, Varanasi, highlights one of the highest oral cancer burdens across India. Despite the availability of national guidelines, frontline health workers (ASHAs) remain underutilised for tobacco cessation counselling and oral cancer symptom-based screening. This study assessed the impact of a structured training intervention on their knowledge, practices, and legal awareness. METHODS: A pre-post intervention study was conducted in one rural block of Varanasi district between January and May 2023. A total of 202 ASHAs were enrolled through purposive sampling. The one-day training, based on Government of India modules, covered epidemiology, clinical features, determinants of tobacco use, cessation counselling, symptom-based oral cancer screening, and relevant legislation. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire before and after training. Descriptive statistics, Stuart-Maxwell tests, and Spearman's correlations were applied for analysis. RESULTS: Baseline scores revealed substantial knowledge and practice gaps: 45.6% of ASHAs had poor epidemiological awareness, 56.9% poor clinical knowledge, and 81.7% poor understanding of determinants of tobacco use. Only 19.8% reported routinely performing symptom-based screening for oral cancer, and while 64.8% "always" provided counselling, legal literacy was limited (only 38.1% aware of the COTPA Act). Following the intervention, significant improvements were observed across all domains (p < 0.01). Post-intervention most ASHAs reported willingness for oral cancer screening (64.8%) and provide tobacco cessation counselling (75.7%). Awareness of the COTPA Act increased to 65.4%. Strong positive correlations were observed between knowledge domains, suggesting synergistic gains. CONCLUSION: A structured, government-endorsed training programme significantly improved ASHAs' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to tobacco cessation and oral cancer screening, demonstrating the feasibility of leveraging frontline workers for community-based cancer prevention. However, achieving higher competency levels requires more intensive, competency-based training with supportive supervision. Integration within routine health systems and further research on long-term impact are warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Trial registration Clinical Trials Registry India CTRI/2021/02/031306. Date of registration 16/02/2021.