• Lt Col (Dr) MS RANA
• COL (Dr) PRASANTH T
• BRIG (Dr) SK BHANDARI
• LT COL (Dr) MANAB KOSALA

Various pictorial and textual warnings are depicted with a hope that they will deter the individuals from using tobacco and inform them regarding the risks of tobacco. Yet there is lack of information regarding the comprehension and the deterrence of these signs on the general population. A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted on a rural population at Pune to assess understanding and persuasiveness of the pictorial and textual warnings on panel of smoked and chewable tobacco. Nearly one‑third of the study participants had often noticed warnings on tobacco packs, had sometimes read or looked closely at the warnings on tobacco packs in the last month and had rarely discussed with anyone about these warnings. About more than two‑third of the study participants had found the warning related pictures as not easy to understand, not believable and that these images did not deter them from the likely use of tobacco, and did not stop them from using tobacco. After analysis of the data it is inferred that the textual and pictorial warnings on the packaging of tobacco products failed to have desired deterrence on the people who tend to initiate or continue the tobacco usage.

Perception, pictorial and textual warnings, tobacco

"A STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF PICTORIAL AND TEXTUAL WARNINGS ON PACKINGS OF SMOKED AND SMOKELESS TOBACCO PRODUCTS", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 1, page no.146-153, January-2020, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2001025.pdf

"A STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF PICTORIAL AND TEXTUAL WARNINGS ON PACKINGS OF SMOKED AND SMOKELESS TOBACCO PRODUCTS", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 1, page no. pp146-153, January-2020, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2001025.pdf