JOIN USA 30-second advertisement on Second Hand Smoking (SHS), including the one in Kannada, by the World Lung Foundation in association with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has hit television screens.
Focused on creating an awareness on the ills of second hand smoking (SHS), the advertisement that hit screens on March 3 would be on in TV and radio Channels across for a four-week duration.
The advertisement shows how exposure to SHS causes stroke and heart attack. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, over half of adults in India are exposed to SHS at home and around 30 per cent of adults are exposed to SHS at work. The ad campaign, titled Clinical, was developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with technical and financial support from World Lung Foundation.
It graphically depicts a woman who sits near a smoker exposed to SHS develops increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Clinical was filmed in India and its effectiveness was assessed in test screenings among Indian audiences. During this rigorous message-testing protocol, the campaign was found to be highly effective in communicating the harms of SHS, particularly on the heart.
It is being broadcast in 17 languages including Kannada on all television and radio channels and also on the government’s Lok Sabha channel.
Dr Nandita Murukutla, Country Director for India, World Lung Foundation, said: “With its policies of curbing tobacco marketing in films and television programs through anti-tobacco advertising, disclaimers and warning scrolls, India is now considered an example of global best practice in this aspect of tobacco control. We hope this campaign will stop smokers from exposing others to the toxic smoke from beedies and cigarettes and, better yet, will encourage them to stop using tobacco entirely.”