Awareness and attitude towards pictorial warning label on tobacco products among tobacco users of selected rural and urban areas of Sikkim, India

Introduction: The use of tobacco is one of the main factors for several diseases which include cancer in various parts of the body. In India implementation of pictorial warning was enforced on May 31, 2009. India has been ranked fifth in the listing of countries that have implemented pictorial warning label on tobacco product. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India has notified new theme of health warning for all tobacco products for the period of 12 months, after which the second set of images will be used by 2018. Materials and Methods: A descriptive survey research study was conducted in urban and rural area of East Sikkim. The samples of the study were tobacco users.100 samples were selected using convenient sampling technique. Out of which 50 samples were taken from rural area and 50 from urban area of Gangtok, East Sikkim. Data was collected by administering self-report structured questionnaire on awareness and attitude towards pictorial warning label on tobacco product and the data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: Out of 100 samples, 50 samples belonging to urban area their demographic data findings shows that majority of the samples 50% (25) belonged to the age group of 21-30 years, 66% (33) were Muslim by religion, 64% (32) were male, 60% (30) of the sample were unmarried. Majority of the samples 84% (42) belonged to APL category, 40% (20) had secondary education qualification. Findings regarding awareness of samples residing in urban area shows that majority 86% (43) had high awareness (aware of pictorial warning label on tobacco product and harmful effects of tobacco use) and 14% (7) had moderate awareness. 44(88%) had favorable attitude regarding initiative taken by the government in implementing pictorial warning label on tobacco product to create awareness about harmful effects of tobacco use and 12%(6) had unfavorable attitude (pictorial warning label does not bring any thought of quitting tobacco use, consume tobacco even after seeing the picture, pictorial warning label on tobacco product has no meaning). Findings regarding the demographic data of rural area shows that majority of the samples belonging to the age group of 31-40 years were 28% (14), 48% (24) were Hindu by religion, 68% (34) were male, 37% (17) of the sample were married. Majority of the samples 54% (27) belong to BPL category, 26% (13) had secondary education qualification. Findings regarding awareness of samples residing in rural area shows that most of the sample 48% (24) had high awareness, 40% (20) had moderate awareness and 12% (6) had low awareness towards the pictorial warning label. Similarly, 80% (40) of the samples had favorable attitude regarding initiative taken by the government in implementing pictorial warning label on tobacco product to create awareness about harmful effects of tobacco use and 20% (10) had unfavorable attitude towards pictorial warning label on tobacco product. Conclusion: The present study revealed that majority of the samples had high awareness towards pictorial warning label on tobacco product and most of them believed that pictorial warning label on tobacco product create awareness about probable health hazards of tobacco use and that these health warning positively assists in reducing or quitting tobacco usage.