Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation

Background and challenges to implementation Tobacco use usually begins in adolescence, and the risk of tobacco use is highest among those who start early and continue its use for a long period. Global Youth Tobacco Survey-2009, revealed that nearly 15% of youth in India use tobacco. In the wake of i...

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Main Authors: Nandini Sharma, Charu Kohli, Sunita Dhaked, C. Vankhuma, Tanu Anand, Mongjam Meghachandra Singh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Publishing 2018-03-01
Series:Tobacco Induced Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.journalssystem.com/tid/Anti-smoking-legislation-in-educational-institutions-in-India-opinion-of-stakeholders,84385,0,2.html
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spelling doaj-c5906a8d6d724b5491ed0936e874acc32020-11-25T00:30:17ZengEuropean PublishingTobacco Induced Diseases1617-96252018-03-0116110.18332/tid/8438584385Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementationNandini Sharma0Charu Kohli1Sunita Dhaked2C. Vankhuma3Tanu Anand4Mongjam Meghachandra Singh5Maulana Azad Medical College, IndiaMaulana Azad Medical College, Community Medicine, IndiaMaulana Azad Medical College, Community Medicine, IndiaMaulana Azad Medical College, Community Medicine, IndiaMaulana Azad Medical College, Community Medicine, IndiaMaulana Azad Medical College, IndiaBackground and challenges to implementation Tobacco use usually begins in adolescence, and the risk of tobacco use is highest among those who start early and continue its use for a long period. Global Youth Tobacco Survey-2009, revealed that nearly 15% of youth in India use tobacco. In the wake of international efforts and growing consciousness about harmful effects of tobacco use, the Government of India enacted “The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003” (COTPA), in May 2003 with a view to protect public health by prohibiting smoking in public places, banning advertisements of the tobacco products, banning sale of tobacco products to minors and near educational institutions, prescribing strong health warnings including pictorial depiction on tobacco products, and regulation of tar and nicotine contents of tobacco products. Intervention or response Delhi government started the "Smoke Free Delhi" initiative in 2009. The rising trend of tobacco smoking among students in the country makes it imperative to provide a smoke-free environment in the educational institutions. The current study was undertaken with the objective to assess the status of implementation of anti-smoking legislation and perception among stakeholders in educational institutions in Delhi. Results and lessons learnt Out of the total 596 participants,125 (21%) reported to be current smokers. 64.8% of the participants were aware about the COTPA, but the awareness about the organizations implementing the act was very low, being only 7 (5.6%) among smokers, and 23 (4.9%) among nonsmokers.Regarding the awareness of places designated as “Smoke Free Zones,” majority said educational institutions, followed by airport, shopping malls, and buses/trains. A majority of the smokers (85.6%) supported ban on smoking at public places. Conclusions and key recommendations The level of awareness about antismoking legislation was high and majority support ban on smoking. However, the mechanism of implementation of the law was unclear to most.http://www.journalssystem.com/tid/Anti-smoking-legislation-in-educational-institutions-in-India-opinion-of-stakeholders,84385,0,2.htmlWCTOH
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Nandini Sharma
Charu Kohli
Sunita Dhaked
C. Vankhuma
Tanu Anand
Mongjam Meghachandra Singh
spellingShingle Nandini Sharma
Charu Kohli
Sunita Dhaked
C. Vankhuma
Tanu Anand
Mongjam Meghachandra Singh
Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
Tobacco Induced Diseases
WCTOH
author_facet Nandini Sharma
Charu Kohli
Sunita Dhaked
C. Vankhuma
Tanu Anand
Mongjam Meghachandra Singh
author_sort Nandini Sharma
title Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
title_short Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
title_full Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
title_fullStr Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
title_full_unstemmed Anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in India: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
title_sort anti-smoking legislation in educational institutions in india: opinion of stakeholders and challenges in implementation
publisher European Publishing
series Tobacco Induced Diseases
issn 1617-9625
publishDate 2018-03-01
description Background and challenges to implementation Tobacco use usually begins in adolescence, and the risk of tobacco use is highest among those who start early and continue its use for a long period. Global Youth Tobacco Survey-2009, revealed that nearly 15% of youth in India use tobacco. In the wake of international efforts and growing consciousness about harmful effects of tobacco use, the Government of India enacted “The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003” (COTPA), in May 2003 with a view to protect public health by prohibiting smoking in public places, banning advertisements of the tobacco products, banning sale of tobacco products to minors and near educational institutions, prescribing strong health warnings including pictorial depiction on tobacco products, and regulation of tar and nicotine contents of tobacco products. Intervention or response Delhi government started the "Smoke Free Delhi" initiative in 2009. The rising trend of tobacco smoking among students in the country makes it imperative to provide a smoke-free environment in the educational institutions. The current study was undertaken with the objective to assess the status of implementation of anti-smoking legislation and perception among stakeholders in educational institutions in Delhi. Results and lessons learnt Out of the total 596 participants,125 (21%) reported to be current smokers. 64.8% of the participants were aware about the COTPA, but the awareness about the organizations implementing the act was very low, being only 7 (5.6%) among smokers, and 23 (4.9%) among nonsmokers.Regarding the awareness of places designated as “Smoke Free Zones,” majority said educational institutions, followed by airport, shopping malls, and buses/trains. A majority of the smokers (85.6%) supported ban on smoking at public places. Conclusions and key recommendations The level of awareness about antismoking legislation was high and majority support ban on smoking. However, the mechanism of implementation of the law was unclear to most.
topic WCTOH
url http://www.journalssystem.com/tid/Anti-smoking-legislation-in-educational-institutions-in-India-opinion-of-stakeholders,84385,0,2.html
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