Awareness and attitude toward pictographs on tobacco products: A population-based study in field practice area

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is a major global public health threat for all countries and no form of tobacco use is safe. Pictorial warnings covering 40% area of tobacco products are made mandatory from May 31, 2009 in India. The present study was aimed to investigate the awareness and attitude toward pictorial warnings on tobacco products among age 15 years and above population in field-practice area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1064 individuals were selected by systematic random sampling. A model containing the pictorial warnings were shown to the study subjects, and data were collected by semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20 and statistical tests used were Chi-square test. Significance level set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Of the 1064 individuals participated in the study, 53.9% were male and the mean age of the study population was 31.24 ± 5.8. Nearly 45.8% reported using tobacco in some form and all of them were males. 51.3% of both males and females reported that they never came across antitobacco messages (pictorial warnings). 71.2% believed that the size and position of pictorial warnings on tobacco products were not sufficient to understand the harmful effects of tobacco. There was statistically significant difference between different age groups in their responses to the aforementioned questions. CONCLUSION: The results of present study demonstrate that the need for pictorial warnings on tobacco products to be more clear and explanatory since there is little point in having pictorial warnings when the prime purpose of having them is not being served.