Survey results found that larger pictorial warnings on cigarette packs have little effect on 72 percent of current smokers in India.
These visual warnings show the adverse health consequences linked to the nasty habit.
The Indian government required tobacco companies to increase the size of these warnings from 20 percent to 85 percent of the product packages, which took effect on April 1.
But the new survey from insurance company ICICI Lombard showed that the effort didn't change the minds of most smokers in the country.
About 49 percent of the participants said the habit has become tough to quit. Findings showed that peer pressure (38 percent) and stress from work (35 percent) are two key reasons that people start a smoking habit.
About 20 percent see smoking as "just another habit," thinking that when done moderately, it should not lead to any problems.
The findings also showed data on passive smoking. Approximately 53 percent said they are aware that they are being exposed to passive smoking daily.
On the bright side, 41 percent of the survey participants believe that a stricter ban on public smoking would gain more appreciation. Then again, only 24 percent said that increasing the sin taxes would urge smokers to stop.
Moreover, 10 percent of the study participants said they feel like they need to get a health insurance policy to protect themselves from the high smoking rates in the country. This proved to be the most alarming data the survey gathered.
"It emphasizes that as insurers and as a society, we are yet a long way away from spreading full awareness about the ill-effects of smoking," said Sanjay Datta, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Chief - Underwriting - Claims and Reinsurance.
The ICICI Lombard nationwide survey gathered more than 1,000 responses from a pool of people aged 22 to 45 years old.
Cigarette Packages In The United Kingdom
The fight against smoking continues. In the United Kingdom (UK) a new regulation required all cigarettes to be sold in plain, standardized packages.
Gone are the features that have made cigarette packages attractive. The plain, brown packages will sport the same shape, size and color, and even the cigarette brand names will have the same font and size.
