Impact of tobacco health warnings on smokers in Pakistan

To see the impact of health warnings cigarette packets on the smoking habits of smokers. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi from July to October 2014, and comprised adult male cigarettes smokers. A self-administered questionnaire was presented to the participants who were selected through non-probability convenience sampling irrespective of their educational background. Data was analyzed using SPSS 17. Out of the 1500 subjects, 1330(88.7%) noticed warning on cigarette packets; 730(54.8%) considered the picture to have significant impact; 630(47.3%) tried to decrease smoking; and 430(32.4%) actually attempted to quit. Of the 430 who tried to quit, 300(69.7%) considered the picture as having had an impact. The current health warnings on cigarette packets sold in Pakistan do not carry a significant deterrent impact.