Study Reveals Impact of Advertisements on Tobacco Addicts

Source from:  Bindu Shajan Perappadan hindu.com 12/27/2007

It establishes a relationship between tobacco marketing and its abuse among schoolchildren NEW DELHI: If the Government was waiting for research to establish a connection between advertisements and tobacco abuse, especially among children, a new study now has the answer. The study, by a non-government organisation, Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), along with the School of Public Health at the University of Texas, conducted on students from the sixth to the eighth grade in Delhi and Chennai has established that exposure to tobacco advertising and promotion is associated with abuse of tobacco product. Furthermore, the study reveals that individuals who are more receptive to tobacco advertising and promotion are more likely to use tobacco. The study, titled "Tobacco marketing and its influence on tobacco use among youth in India", also found that the prevalence of tobacco abuse increased progressively with enhanced levels of exposure to tobacco advertising. Conducted on 11,642 students in 32 schools, the study also establishes a relationship between the marketing of tobacco and its abuse among school children as young as the sixth grade. Public Health Foundation of India president K. Srinath Reddy said: "Surrogate advertisement of tobacco products has serious implications for India, with young people forming about half of its population. Initiation of tobacco use starts before the age of 18 and results of this study highlight that protecting the youth from the influence of tobacco advertising and promotion becomes an urgent public health concern in India." He said the Government's decision to stall the printing of pictorial health warnings on tobacco products was yet another tactic of the tobacco lobbying groups to prevent public health initiatives against tobacco. In India advertisements of tobacco products continues, albeit in a surrogate manner. Despite there being a complete ban on advertising since May 1, 2004, some brands continue to advertise via different means. "In fact, students are still being influenced by the advertisements from the tobacco companies," said Dr. Reddy. HRIDAY director Monika Arora said: "The study is a multi-component intervention to prevent and reduce tobacco use among urban youth in India. Advertising and promotion of tobacco products makes young people more susceptible to using tobacco by influencing their psychosocial risk factors that is strongly predictive of subsequent use. There is an immediate need to counter-act these promotions of tobacco products through making the legislation comprehensive and counter-advertising to appropriately inform the consumers." Enditem