Descriptive Evaluation of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act in a North Indian City.
Loading...
Date
2016-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Background: India is a signatory to Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and also enacted cigarettes and other
tobacco products Act (COTPA) in 2003. Objectives: To undertake a comprehensive assessment (Section 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
and 9 under COTPA) of legislation against tobacco products in a North Indian city. Methods: An observational, crosssectional
study was conducted at 108 public places which included educational institutions, offices, health institutes,
transit sites, and hotels/restaurants. Structured checklists with compliance indicators for various sections under COTPA
were used. Different brands of tobacco products were observed for pictorial warnings. Results: No active smoking was
observed at 80.5% public places, while 54.6% places had displayed “No smoking” signage. About 68.5% public places
were found free of evidence of smell/ashes of recent smoking, and 86.1% places had no smoking aids. Merely, one-third
public places (36.1%) were complying with all Section 4 indicators. Around 42.3% point of sale had advertisements of
tobacco products, and 73.1% had a display of tobacco products visible to minors. Around 60% educational institutions
displayed signages as per Section 6b of COTPA, and 32.5% had tobacco shops being run within 100 yards of institution’s
radius. There was minimal smoking activity within the campus. Health warnings were present in 80.8% of tobacco
products, more with Indian brands as compared to foreign brands. Conclusion: The city of Chandigarh, which was
declared the first smoke-free city of India, showed poor compliance with COTPA.
Description
Keywords
Cigarettes and other tobacco products act, compliance, evaluation, India, legislation
Citation
Goel Sonu, Sardana Mohini, Jain Nisha, Bakshi Deepak. Descriptive Evaluation of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act in a North Indian City. Indian Journal of Public Health. 2016 Oct-Dec; 60(4): 273-279.