How effective pictorial warnings on tobacco product are? A cross sectional study from north India

Pages: 1108-1111
Binod Kumar Behera, Ajay Tyagi, Babita Rani and Suraj Chawla (Department of Community Medicine, Pt. B. D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana)
Behera Joshil Kumar (Department of Physiology, Pt. B. D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana)
MC Sahoo (Deputy Medical Superintendent, Department of Hospital Administration, Pt. B. D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana)

More than 80% of deaths due to tobacco use occur in the developing countries. Each year 0.8-.09 million Indians die due to tobacco related disease. India has the highest number of oral cancer in the world and 90% of all oral cancers are related to tobacco use. Warning labels on tobacco products are an effective way of communicating the consequences of tobacco use and bring about behavioural changes like quitting and reducing the tobacco consumption. Present cross-sectional study was conducted to know the effectiveness of the pictorial warning on the tobacco product and people’s attitude toward this warning in a tertiary care hospital setting using a pre tested semi structure interview schedule. A total of 308 adults were included in the study, of which 108 (35.06%) participant never consumed tobacco products. 280 (90.90%) participants ever noticed a pictorial warning on the tobacco product,130(42.20%) participant said it does not have any impact on the habit.192 (96%) said tobacco uses have adverse effect on health and 164 (82 %) ever had thought to quit this habit, 28 (14%) participants said they thought to quit smoking due to warning on the pack and only 5(2.5%) of them could quit this habit because of that.