‘Anti-tobacco Health spots & Disclaimers in films must be rotated regularly to avoid over exposure’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 8, 2017
A recent study supported the government has recommended strengthening of the anti-tobacco film rules and said that the anti-tobacco health spots & disclaimers in films must be rotated regularly to avoid over exposure and resultant ineffectiveness.
The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation Of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA) was enacted in 2003 to prohibit and regulate advertisement & display of tobacco products among other things. The rules framed in 2004 and then amended in 2005 and 2012 prohibit advertisement and display of tobacco products in multiple ways. The 2012 rules have detailed rules on portrayal of smoking in films. Now a study by a non-profit, that is guided by the government has recommended that anti-tobacco health spots & disclaimers in films must be rotated regularly to avoid over exposure  that could result in ineffectiveness.
Rules for films & television programs displaying tobacco products
The amended rules in 2012 mandate the following four rules for new films and television programs displaying tobacco products or their use.
These rules were framed in consultation with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Ministry of Health has also developed health spots like the film on Mukesh for insertion in films.
The rules also mandate that the static message should be legible and readable and placed prominently at the bottom of the screen and that the font of the message should be in black color, on white background.
Only 27% films in the sample implemented all four rules
The study involved interviews with men and women aged 15 – 50 years. 308 movies across four regions in India were coded and exit interviews were conducted with 3,080 people. The movies were chosen in such a way that at least 50% of them contained a tobacco scene. The study found that
The anti-tobacco health spots & disclaimers must be rotated regularly
Overall, the study found that the implementation of the Film Rules was higher in film theaters than on television. The study also made various recommendations that are supported by the government.  Some of the recommendations made are the following.
Images: Anti-tobacco Health spots & Disclaimers