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Building public awareness on Tobacco Control
 The
National Tobacco Control Cell has developed a focused mass media
campaign to counter tobacco advertisements as well as to increase the
awareness of the target population. These advertisements target specific
audiences’ e.g youth, passive smokers, users
of smokeless tobacco, bidis and cigarette smokers
etc.
An official logo symbolizing the anti-tobacco movement in India was
developedand this has helped give the
tobacco control efforts in the country a definite identity. The logo is of a
flower being held in between two fingers, just like a cigarette would be,
with a positive catch-line, “Choose Life, not Tobacco”.
Grassroots level activities like school based programs,
organization of street plays at the state level and various other community
based interventions targeting specific population groups have been
effectively used to disseminate anti-tobacco awareness.
Taking on SEAR’s initiative of
the South East Asian Anti-Tobacco Flame further, a youth based organization,
Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan,
which has pan-India presence at grassroots level, successfully disseminated
the anti-tobacco message among the masses in 14 states through an innovative
medium of street plays.
In the period 2001-05, a repertoire of anti-tobacco
television and radio advertisements targeting the entire spectrum of tobacco
products have been developed. Some of these spots feature various popular
film stars and youth role models such as Vivek Oberoi, Urmila Matondkar and Shashi Kapoor. These anti
tobacco spots are being disseminated to various stakeholders and aired
through various media channels from time to time.
Other anti-tobacco IEC materials like posters, flip
charts, brochures, mobile exhibition kits and stickers sponsored by MoH/WHO have been developed through the Directorate of
Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP) and have been disseminated across
the country.
These IEC materials developed have also been effectively
used in health melas that were conducted by
Ministry of Health in various states.
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IEC Materials displayed at the
Health Meal held at Rai Bareli
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NGO’s delivered
tobacco cessation counseling session at Rai Bareli
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Anti-tobacco slogans and visuals have also been displayed
through bus panels as outdoor publicity and printed on the postal stationery
for mass reach.
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Anti-tobacco bus
panel
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Sample of a postal
card bearing an anti-tobacco message
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Public awareness campaigns on passive smoking have been
published in various print media such as popular weekly/monthly magazines.
The National Tobacco Control Cell has been providing
technical inputs to the ongoing weekly television program called “Kalyani” which provides in depth information to its
viewers through panel discussions, expert interviews, success stories,
quizzes and slogan writing/painting competitions on the issue of tobacco
control along with other health issues.
A nationwide public awareness campaign was organized by
the Ministry of Health to educate the public on the provisions of India
Tobacco Control Act, 2003, aired through television and radio.
Felicitation of
role models
Tobacco control efforts of popular cine actors have been
recognized. Popular and youth role model, Vivek Oberoi was felicitated with the WHO Tobacco Free Award
for his efforts in and commitment in fighting the tobacco menace.
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Vivek Oberoi was presented the “World No Tobacco Day Award”
2004 by the WHO Representative to India in Mumbai
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Creation of Model
Tobacco Free Workplace and Educational Institutions
An initiative has been launched to make Nirman Bhavan, the building in
which the WHO India and the Ministry of Health & Family offices are
located, tobacco free. The objective is to create a model that other public
offices can emulate.In order
to achieve thisobjective, a
task force and an anti tobacco squad has been constituted for enforcement of
the ban on public smoking in the building, anti tobacco communication materials
are being developed and disseminated
and sensitization workshops on tobacco control are being organized for the
staff .
Authorization badges issued to the members
of the anti tobacco squad
The Annamalai
University, Rajah Muthiah
Medical College
Hospital has also
undertaken the initiative for creating a tobacco-free educational institution
in Tamil Nadu. The university organized a
sensitization workshop on tobacco control for the students and the staff. A
rally was organized by the NSS wing of university where around 1300 students
went round the 975 acre university campus shouting slogans and carrying the
placards containing messages against tobacco usage. The Vice Chancellor
declared the university as Tobacco Free Educational Institution and issued
the orders banning smoking consumption of tobacco, liquor, narcotic andinebriating items inside the university campus.
Launch of the
initiative for tobacco free educational institution
at Annamalai University
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