A study published in a medical journal finds that pictorial warnings are more effective than text-only messages in tobacco products. The study, which had more than 2,000 respondents, was done to gauge the perceived effectiveness of text and pictorial health warnings for smokeless tobacco packages and was conducted in Navi Mumbai and Dhaka.
The experimental study by Tobacco Control, an international peer-reviewed journal for health professionals and others, involved adult smokeless tobacco users aged over 19 and non-users. During the study, the respondents viewed warnings depicting five health effects in text-only, symbolic pictorial, graphical pictorial and personal testimonials formats.
"We have found that text-only warning were perceived as less effective than the pictorial styles. Graphic warnings were given higher effectiveness ratings than symbolic or testimonial warnings," said PC Gupta, Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, one of the co-authors.
Interestingly, WHO has been advocating countries to adopt plain packaging with pictorial warnings to reduce tobacco consumption across the world. It had taken it up as a theme for 'World No Tobacco Day'.
This idea was successfully implemented by Australia in 2012 and, according to WHO, it has shown positive results. Presently, in India, pictorial warning is compulsory on 85% of the packet.
"Tobacco is the only consumer product that has no good use whatsoever apart of killing every third consumer. Tobacco is attributable cause of 50% cancers in India and majority of lung or heart diseases. Pictorial warnings is very effective and plain packaging is the need of the hour," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, professor, head and neck surgeon, Tata Memorial Hospital.
According to WHO, the plain packaging is an important demand reduction measure that lessens the attractiveness of tobacco products, restricts the use of packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion, limits misleading packaging and labelling, and increases the effectiveness of health warnings.
India is ranked at 136 among 198 countries in terms of prominence of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging and is ranked much below countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand etc., having higher proportion of pack warnings on the principal display areas of the tobacco packs.
Health experts also say that apart from emphasising on plain packaging with pictorial warnings on tobacco products, there should also be a robust tobacco cessation programmes. "90% of the people are aware that tobacco is harmful but they do not know how to quit it. We need a robust tobacco cessation programs in our government hospitals. In abroad, many countries like South Korea and Japan have started tobacco cessation programs to help their citizens quit tobacco," said Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant respirologist at Hinduja Hospital.
What is plain packaging?
A generic, standardised or homogeneous packaging, refers to packaging that requires the removal of all branding (colour, imagery, corporate logo and trademarks). Permitting manufacturers to print only the brand name in a mandated size, font and place on the pack, in addition to the health warnings and any other legally mandated information such as toxic constituents and tax-paid stamp.
Source: DNA
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