Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India
India bears the highest global burden of oral cancer, with over 83,400 cases reported in 2022. The widespread use of smokeless tobacco and areca nut, particularly in rural and underserved communities, continues to drive this public health crisis. Despite government regulations and awareness campaign...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1531268/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849423434358980608 |
|---|---|
| author | Saravanan Sekaran Dhanraj Ganapathy Deepavalli Arumuganainar Harini Arumugasamy Vimalraj Selvaraj Saeed Alassiri Shahabe Saquib Abullais |
| author_facet | Saravanan Sekaran Dhanraj Ganapathy Deepavalli Arumuganainar Harini Arumugasamy Vimalraj Selvaraj Saeed Alassiri Shahabe Saquib Abullais |
| author_sort | Saravanan Sekaran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | India bears the highest global burden of oral cancer, with over 83,400 cases reported in 2022. The widespread use of smokeless tobacco and areca nut, particularly in rural and underserved communities, continues to drive this public health crisis. Despite government regulations and awareness campaigns, tobacco consumption remains high due to cultural acceptance, affordability, and accessibility of products like gutkha and khaini. This review examines the role of celebrity endorsements in tobacco cessation efforts, assessing their influence on public perception and behavior. Bollywood actors and sports icons, who hold immense cultural influence in India, have been leveraged in health campaigns to promote tobacco-free lifestyles. While some celebrity-driven initiatives have successfully raised awareness, surrogate marketing remains a critical challenge. Many celebrities indirectly endorse harmful products like pan masala and mouth fresheners, undermining tobacco control efforts. To counter this, stricter policies are needed to regulate celebrity endorsements, ensuring alignment with public health goals. This review highlights key strategies for maximizing the impact of celebrity-led health campaigns while minimizing the risks posed by surrogate marketing. By fostering sustained celebrity engagement and implementing robust policy measures, India can take significant steps toward reducing smokeless tobacco use and preventing oral cancer. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d1eaa78715c4c8a80a575e9207bf4e5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d1eaa78715c4c8a80a575e9207bf4e52025-08-20T03:30:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-07-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15312681531268Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in IndiaSaravanan Sekaran0Dhanraj Ganapathy1Deepavalli Arumuganainar2Harini Arumugasamy3Vimalraj Selvaraj4Saeed Alassiri5Shahabe Saquib Abullais6Department of Prosthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute for Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, IndiaDepartment of Prosthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute for Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, IndiaDepartment of Periodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, IndiaDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. M.G.R Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, IndiaDepartment of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai, IndiaDepartment of Diagnostic Dental Sciences and Oral Biology, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Periodontics and Community Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi ArabiaIndia bears the highest global burden of oral cancer, with over 83,400 cases reported in 2022. The widespread use of smokeless tobacco and areca nut, particularly in rural and underserved communities, continues to drive this public health crisis. Despite government regulations and awareness campaigns, tobacco consumption remains high due to cultural acceptance, affordability, and accessibility of products like gutkha and khaini. This review examines the role of celebrity endorsements in tobacco cessation efforts, assessing their influence on public perception and behavior. Bollywood actors and sports icons, who hold immense cultural influence in India, have been leveraged in health campaigns to promote tobacco-free lifestyles. While some celebrity-driven initiatives have successfully raised awareness, surrogate marketing remains a critical challenge. Many celebrities indirectly endorse harmful products like pan masala and mouth fresheners, undermining tobacco control efforts. To counter this, stricter policies are needed to regulate celebrity endorsements, ensuring alignment with public health goals. This review highlights key strategies for maximizing the impact of celebrity-led health campaigns while minimizing the risks posed by surrogate marketing. By fostering sustained celebrity engagement and implementing robust policy measures, India can take significant steps toward reducing smokeless tobacco use and preventing oral cancer.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1531268/fulloral cancersmokeless tobaccocelebrity influencepublic health campaignssurrogate marketinghealth advocacy |
| spellingShingle | Saravanan Sekaran Dhanraj Ganapathy Deepavalli Arumuganainar Harini Arumugasamy Vimalraj Selvaraj Saeed Alassiri Shahabe Saquib Abullais Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India Frontiers in Public Health oral cancer smokeless tobacco celebrity influence public health campaigns surrogate marketing health advocacy |
| title | Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India |
| title_full | Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India |
| title_fullStr | Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India |
| title_short | Leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation: challenges and opportunities in India |
| title_sort | leveraging celebrity influence for oral cancer prevention and smokeless tobacco cessation challenges and opportunities in india |
| topic | oral cancer smokeless tobacco celebrity influence public health campaigns surrogate marketing health advocacy |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1531268/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT saravanansekaran leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia AT dhanrajganapathy leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia AT deepavalliarumuganainar leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia AT hariniarumugasamy leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia AT vimalrajselvaraj leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia AT saeedalassiri leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia AT shahabesaquibabullais leveragingcelebrityinfluencefororalcancerpreventionandsmokelesstobaccocessationchallengesandopportunitiesinindia |