Knowledge and Attitude of Students and Teachers who Smoke Toward the Electric Chanting Cigarette Lighter in Colleges of Pimpri-Chinchwad – A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: The mandatory pictorial warnings on cigarette packets were not properly understood and thus were not very effective. Hence, there was a felt need for a strategy which could bring an implicit change in the attitude and practice of tobacco users. Electric chanting lighter chants a death phrase when users light up, to deter smokers from smoking, which is patented by the Cancer Patient Aid Association, Mumbai, India. However, as the attitude toward it was unknown, this study was conducted. Objective: The objective of the study is to assess knowledge and attitude of smoking college students and teachers toward the electric chanting lighter. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire study was conducted among the students and teachers of arts, science, and commerce colleges in Pune. A total of 100 (25 teachers and 75 students) participants were part of the study, which was conducted in 2014. Every participant was asked to listen to the lighter live and then immediately a self-administered questionnaire was provided to them to answer. Results: It was seen that, albeit 100% of the staff and 95% of the students were aware of the fact that smoking causes cancer, neither of the groups were even remotely aware of the existence of a chanting lighter. Eighty percent of the staff and 70% of the students believed that the chanting lighter would be accepted by the society. Meanwhile, 80% of the staff and 66% of the students agreed that the chanting lighter will play an essential role to help give up the habit of tobacco use in the long run. Conclusion: It can be concluded that, the chanting lighter can be promoted as one of the first verbal warning aid to be used for smoking cessation. It is clearly reflected through this study that this lighter can bring about a change in the attitude of smokers.