Role of pictorial warning on cigarette packets in tobacco cessation- A questionnaire survey among cigarette smokers in Chennai.

Background: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, advocates that person using tobacco products should be informed about the health consequences and threats posed by it. Warning labels on cigarette packages are meant to communicate such smoking-associated risks. Aims: To find out the effectiveness of pictorial warnings present on cigarette packets in India for tobacco cessation among cigarette smokers. Methods and Material: A structured questionnaire consisting of demographic details, health consequences of smoking and the effectiveness of various pictorial warnings on cigarette packets were distributed to 100 current smokers attending an outpatient department of a college in Chennai. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 17 and Krusscal Wallis test were used to find the association between socioeconomic status and effectiveness of pictures on helping smokers quit the habit of cigarette smoking.Results: Forty two percent of respondents showed definite evidence of dependence of smoking. 48% of the smokers perceive text warning is an efficient method to create awareness about ill effects of smoking. Fifty six percent emphasized the importance of pictorial warning and greater area to be covered for pictorial warnings. However, only 43% of the respondents felt that warning on cigarette packets helped them to quit smoking. Conclusions: Though pictorial warning is an effective method to improve the awareness among smokers on the ill effects of smoking, the size, area covered and the position of the picture on cigarette packets needs to be reviewed to improve the quit rate.