Awareness of anti-tobacco advertisements and its influence on attitude toward tobacco use among 16 to 18-year-old students in Belgaum city: A Cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Tobacco use is a significant public health problem worldwide and the single-most preventable risk of human health. Mass media anti-tobacco advertisements can reach large sections of the society and increase awareness about the harms of tobacco use and increase quit attempts. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the awareness of anti-tobacco advertisements and to assess the influence of anti-tobacco advertisements among 16 to 18-year-old students in Belgaum city. A self-structured, close-ended, 26-item questionnaire was distributed to 600 preuniversity students. The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic data, tobacco usage status, questions related to awareness about anti-tobacco advertisements, and influence of anti-tobacco advertisements on attitude toward tobacco use. Frequency distributions and percentages were examined for each item and Chi-square test was used. RESULTS: Majority of the study participants (89.4% males and 86.7% females) were aware of the anti-tobacco advertisements. Television and movie theaters were considered as the most effective means for anti-tobacco advertisements. Nearly 90.8% had noticed the statutory warning which is shown during tobacco products’ usage on television/movies. Almost 78.35% of males and 90.6% of females had a positive change in attitude toward tobacco use due to influence of anti-tobacco advertisements. CONCLUSION: There is an increased awareness on anti-tobacco and this has been proved to be effective in motivating them to quit tobacco as well as stop them from initiating tobacco use.