Effect of Anti-Smoking Advertising on the Indian Population: A Comparative Behavioural and Electrophysiological Outcome Study

Tobacco smoking is one of the biggest public health threats worldwide. To control and prevent this threat countrywide the Indian Government has initiated anti-smoking mass media campaigning by broadcasting these advertisements during movies and serials. The present study was conducted to analyze the behavioural and electrophysiological correlates of the effects of Indian anti-smoking TV advertisements on the smokers and non-smokers while watching the advertisements. Case-controlled study design was adopted for this study. The sample comprised of twenty male subjects selected from the local community. Based on Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) subjects were divided into Non-Smoker (N=10) and Smoker (N=10) groups. In the smoker group, a further pre and post assessment was performed using Assessment of Motivation: Readiness to Quit Ladder questionnaire. All the participants from both groups also underwent an electroencephalography (EEG) assessment to measure their brain response under three different conditions (Resting condition, Neutral Video, and Anti-smoking video condition). The power spectrum analysis of the EEG data indicates an increased theta power in frontal and parietal regions in smokers which might led to complex inward thinking about the smoking behavior and thereby causing a mental stress state reflected as decreased alpha power. There was no significa difference was observed in non-smokers under all three conditions. The behavioral finding among the smokers indicates an increased readiness to quit the smoking can be suggested as a behavioral response towards the mental stress. Conclusion: The exposure to anti-tobacco advertisements increases the motivation to quit smoking and ought to be considered an important component of mass media-based smoking cessation programs.