October 8, 2010 - Dr. Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Sydney and leading anti-tobacco researcher, says cessation clinics for habitual smokers in India may not work as well as expected. He argues that while cessation units such as the clinics do lead to a decline in smoking and tobacco consumption, “it happens over a very long period of time.” Dr. Chapman is a strong supporter of using mass media campaigns to motivate individuals to quit smoking on their own. His beliefs are based on the fact that a majority of smokers quit on their own once they learn about tobacco’s harmful effects on health. The clinics, Dr. Chapman argues, may be having a counterproductive effect by sending out a message that smokers need help and cannot quit on their own, thereby diminishing smokers’ confidence in quitting.

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