Associations Between Tobacco Marketing and Use Among Urban Youth in India

Objectives-To study if receptivity and exposure to tobacco marketing are correlated with tobacco use and psychosocial risk factors for tobacco use among a sample of urban Indian youth.Methods-Analysis of cross sectional survey data from Project MYTRI, a group randomized intervention trial, in Delhi and Chennai, India collected from 6 th and 8 th graders (n=11642), in 32 schools in 2004.Results-Exposure to tobacco advertisements and receptivity to tobacco marketing were significantly related to increased tobacco use among students. Conclusion-Thisassociation suggests the need to strengthen policy and program-based interventions in India to reduce the influence of such exposures.