New Delhi, December 19, 2017: Regarding the larger pictorial warning, larger health warnings with pictures are more likely to be noticed, better communicate health risks, provoke a greater emotional response and increase the motivation of tobacco users to quit and to decrease their tobacco consumption.
As per the key findings/highlights of Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-2) India 2016-17, 61.9% of current cigarette smokers, 53.8% of current bidi smokers and 46.2% of current smokeless tobacco users thought about quitting because of warning label on packets of cigarette, bidi and smokeless tobacco in comparison to 38.0%, 29.3% and 33.8% respectively in GATS-1 India 2009-10.
Further, the prevalence of tobacco use is reduced by 6 percentage points from 34.6% in GATS-1 to 28.6% in GATS-2.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.