The impact of pictorial warning attached on cigarette packet to the attitude of smoking habit

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47648/zhswmcj.2020.v0201.05

Dr. Kamrun Nahar1 , Prof. Dr. Belal Ahmed2 , Prof. Dr. Md. Khorshed Alam3

Abstract

This was a cross sectional descriptive study conducted to assess the effect pictorial warning message on cigarette packets to the attitude and practice of smokers using a semi-structured questionnaire employing purposive sampling technique with a sample size of 214 by face to face interview carried out in different cities, towns, and villages of Bangladesh from August 2016 to February 2017. Almost 97.6% were male and Most of the respondents (40.9%) belonged to the 20-29 years age group. Majority (58.3%) of them were educated from secondary to graduate few percent below primary. Highest 22.9% respondents were students followed by 17.6% private job holder, 16.9% day labor and only 1.4% was jobless. About 40.2% started smoking by the influence of friends, 26.2% started on curiosity and 20% due to depression and majority 41.0% smoked 1-5 cigarette sticks per day. More than half (65.5%) of respondents felt relax to refreshing by smoking and about two third 77.6% continued their smoking due to habitual act or psychological pleasure Almost 93.4% gave attention to the pictorial warning on the cigarette packets. About 46.4% thought pictorial warning in cigarette packets alarms for not to smoke and only 23.8% thought smoking will cause cancer; 21.4% thought smoking is injurious to health. After seeing the pictorial warning on cigarettes 57.6% reduced the smoking number of sticks per day also attempted to quit smoking. To reduce this restricting the advertisement of tobacco, arranging campaign to raise awareness among people about the health and environmental hazards of smoking and increase the tax on tobacco.

Keywords: Impact, Pictorial, Cigarette, Attitude, Smoking, Habit.


  1. Lecturer, Department of Community Medicine

    Dhaka National Medical College, Dhaka

  2. Professor, Department of Community Medicine

    Dhaka National Medical College, Dhaka

  3. Professor, Department of Pharmacology

    Dhaka National Medical College, Dhaka


Volume 2, Number 1, January 2020
Page: 20-23