Background: Section 5 of India’s tobacco control legislation “Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act(COTPA), 2003”comprehensively prohibits all kinds of tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship(TAPS), but permits advertisments at the point-of-sale (POS) under certain conditions. This provision hasbeen exploited by the tobacco companies to promote their products. Objective: To measure compliance withthe provisions of Section 5 of Indian tobacco control legislation (COTPA, 2003) at point of sale. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey using an observation checklist was conducted in 1860 POS across threejurisdictions (Chennai city, District Vadodara and District Mohali) in India. Results: The most common modeof advertisement of tobacco products was product showcasing (51.1%), followed by dangles (49.6%), stickers(33.8%) and boards (27.1%). More than one fourth of POS were found violating legal provisions for displayingadvertisement boards in one or other forms (oversized, extended to full body lenth of POS, displayed brandname/packshot and promotional messages). Advertisement boards (16.3%) without health warnings were also foundand wherever found, more than 90% health warning were not as per the specification in respect to size, font andbackground color. Conclusions: Point of sale advertising is aggressively used by the tobacco industry to promotetheir products. There is an urgent need of effective implementation of a comprehensive ban on tobacco productadvertisement, promotion and sponsorship at point of sale.
(2014). How Compliant are Tobacco Vendors to India’s Tobacco Control Legislation on Ban of Advertisments at Point of Sale? A Three Jurisdictions Review. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15(24), 10637-10642.
MLA
. "How Compliant are Tobacco Vendors to India’s Tobacco Control Legislation on Ban of Advertisments at Point of Sale? A Three Jurisdictions Review". Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15, 24, 2014, 10637-10642.
HARVARD
(2014). 'How Compliant are Tobacco Vendors to India’s Tobacco Control Legislation on Ban of Advertisments at Point of Sale? A Three Jurisdictions Review', Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15(24), pp. 10637-10642.
VANCOUVER
How Compliant are Tobacco Vendors to India’s Tobacco Control Legislation on Ban of Advertisments at Point of Sale? A Three Jurisdictions Review. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2014; 15(24): 10637-10642.