Vital Strategies Campaign in Karnataka Warns Tobacco Users of the Dangers of Tobacco Use

March 18, 2021 (Bengaluru, India) – Tobacco use is the leading preventable killer in the world, and in India itis responsible for around 1 million deaths annually. A campaign was developed with technical support from Vital Strategies, a global public health organization, to reduce the burden of tobacco use, today the state health department of Karnataka launched a statewide tobacco control campaign to warn against the deadly harms of using tobacco and motivate users to quit.

The campaign includes two evidence-based, hard-hitting public service announcements (PSAs) designed to depict the grim reality of tobacco’s link to cancers and heart disease and encourage tobacco users to call the national tobacco Quitline  (1800112356) for help.

Dr. Arundhathi Chandrashekar IAS, Mission Director​, National Health Mission​​​​​​, Government of Karnataka, said “We are committed to reducing the menace of tobacco in the state of Karnataka and progress is being made. According to the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2), overall tobacco use in Karnataka has declined by 5.4% and the average age for tobacco initiation has increased. We are working towards strengthening tobacco control efforts in the state by ramping up activities related to smoke- free areas, decreasing youth exposure to tobacco and ensuring compliance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act. The mass media campaign is a critical step forward in conveying the harms of tobacco use and discouraging people from consuming tobacco in every form.”

The PSA ‘I Don’t Believe’ is an awareness campaign that depicts how smokeless tobacco users are more prone to a heightened risk of cancer compared to nonusers. ‘When You Quit’ warns against the deadly effects of smoking cigarettes and bidis, particularly the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and it shows smokers the gradual health benefits they’ll experience from quitting over time. Both PSAs encourage people to quit tobacco and comply with bans on public tobacco use and spitting enacted to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Mass media campaigns that highlight tobacco’s deadly harms promote healthy behaviours, prompt attempts to quit, prevent youth initiation and create a supportive environment for policy change,’’ said Vaishakhi Mallik, Associate Director, South Asia at Vital Strategies. ”We commend the government of Karnataka on the launch of the mass media and a digital media campaign to encourage behaviour change among current and potential tobacco users. Paired with stronger smoke-free laws, comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and higher tobacco taxes, public education campaigns are a critical tactic in ending the tobacco epidemic.”

Research has shown that media campaigns are one of the most effective means to build support for tobacco control policies and encourage behaviour change to help people stop smoking. It is one of the World Health Organization’s MPOWER (W=Warn) strategies to reduce tobacco consumption.

Vital Strategies conducted rigorous testing of the PSAs with focus groups to ensure their effectiveness and impact on the public. The research found that the PSAs as ‘easy to understand,’ and participants provided feedback that the campaigns ‘made them stop and think,’ ‘made them uncomfortable,’ and that they ‘learnt something.’ Overall, the PSAs fared very well in captivating people’s attention and conveying the harms related to tobacco use.

The campaign will broadcast in Kannada on TV channels in Karnataka for a period of three weeks. The mass media campaign will also be accompanied by a digital media campaign which will be placed on major digital online streaming platforms- Facebook, Voot, and Hotstar in English and Kannada for the same campaign duration.

About Vital Strategies’ work in tobacco control:

Vital Strategies works globally and in more than 40 countries to support the adoption of proven policies to reduce tobacco use. Our global team of experts use policy, advocacy and strategic communication to help governments adopt lifesaving, public health “best buys” like comprehensive smoke-free laws and high tobacco taxes. Our evidence-based public education campaigns have been seen by more than 2 billion people around the world.

We partner with the American Cancer Society to produce The Tobacco Atlas, (sixth ed.) the most comprehensive report on the evolving global tobacco epidemic, and support the production of WHO’s MPOWER reports. Vital Strategies is a main partner in the $1 billion Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use and a partner in the global tobacco industry watchdog, Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP).

For more information on Vital Strategies’ work in tobacco control, please visit: https://www.vitalstrategies.org/programs/tobacco-control

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by a strong public health system. We work with governments and civil society in 73 countries to design and implement evidence-based strategies that tackle their most pressing public health problems. Our goal is to see governments adopt promising interventions at scale as rapidly as possible.

To find out more, please visit www.vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat

https://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/warn/en/

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