anti-tobacco ad creating quit intentions among viewers

The mass media anti-tobacco campaign titled 'Sunita', launched in August by Union Health Ministry, has been translated into 17 languages and is being broadcast to people across India.
The 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA), which was on air on October 21, was shown for four weeks nationally on all government and private TV and radio channels through the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP).
This is the last week of the advertisement which was developed with technical assistance from World Lung Foundation (WLF).
"Viewers who watch the new ad say they experience fear, shock and concern at seeing the harm inflicted on Sunita and her family by smokeless tobacco (also referred to as "chewing tobacco")," said Dr Nandita Murukutla, Country Director of WTF.

The campaign shows the personal testimony of Sunita Tomar, a 27-year old wife and mother who developed oral cancer after using smokeless tobacco.
The ad shows Sunita before and after an operation to remove a cancerous growth and part of her mouth. She describes how happy she was before tobacco took its terrible toll on her health and her appearance and how she never expected to develop oral cancer. The ad closes with a warning against using smokeless tobacco in various forms.

Qualitative research to evaluate the impact of the campaign among the intended audience of smokeless tobacco users found that the overwhelming majority rated Sunita as highly effective as a tobacco control ad.

Most viewers experienced concern and discomfort after viewing the PSA. While respondents feel emotionally connected with the family scene, the real life situation, grave hospital setting and jaw removal scenes reinforce the credibility and urgency of the PSA's messages.
"Based on the research, we are confident that people across India will relate to Sunita's story and realise it could happen to them or to someone they love. The high impact scenes in the PSA can encourage smokeless tobacco users to quit and act as a deterrent to tobacco usage among non-users too. This is what we hope the campaign will achieve," said Dr Nandita Murukutla, Country Director, WLF.

According to the Tobacco Atlas, 33 percent of men and 18 percent of women use smokeless tobacco in India - one of the highest levels of prevalence in the word.