Cargando…

Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults

INTRODUCTION: Graphic warnings (GWs) on cigarette packs are widely used internationally and perhaps will be in the US but their impact is not well understood. This study tested support for competing hypotheses in different subgroups of young adults defined by their history of cigarette smoking and i...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Blanton, Hart, Snyder, Leslie B., Strauts, Erin, Larson, Joy G.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4012950/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24806481
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096315
_version_ 1782314986181230592
author Blanton, Hart
Snyder, Leslie B.
Strauts, Erin
Larson, Joy G.
author_facet Blanton, Hart
Snyder, Leslie B.
Strauts, Erin
Larson, Joy G.
author_sort Blanton, Hart
collection PubMed
description INTRODUCTION: Graphic warnings (GWs) on cigarette packs are widely used internationally and perhaps will be in the US but their impact is not well understood. This study tested support for competing hypotheses in different subgroups of young adults defined by their history of cigarette smoking and individual difference variables (e.g., psychological reactance). One hypothesis predicted adaptive responding (GWs would lower smoking-related intentions) and another predicted defensive responding (GWs would raise smoking-related intentions). METHODS: Participants were an online sample of 1,169 Americans ages 18–24, who were randomly assigned either to view nine GWs designed by the FDA or to a no-label control. Both the intention to smoke in the future and the intention to quit smoking (among smokers) were assessed before and after message exposure. RESULTS: GWs lowered intention to smoke in the future among those with a moderate lifetime smoking history (between 1 and 100 cigarettes), and they increased intention to quit smoking among those with a heavy lifetime smoking history (more than 100 cigarettes). Both effects were limited to individuals who had smoked in some but not all of the prior 30 days (i.e., occasional smokers). No evidence of defensive “boomerang effects” on intention was observed in any subgroup. CONCLUSION: Graphic warnings can reduce interest in smoking among occasional smokers, a finding that supports the adaptive-change hypothesis. GWs that target occasional smokers might be more effective at reducing cigarette smoking in young adults.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-4012950
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2014
publisher Public Library of Science
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-40129502014-05-09 Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults Blanton, Hart Snyder, Leslie B. Strauts, Erin Larson, Joy G. PLoS One Research Article INTRODUCTION: Graphic warnings (GWs) on cigarette packs are widely used internationally and perhaps will be in the US but their impact is not well understood. This study tested support for competing hypotheses in different subgroups of young adults defined by their history of cigarette smoking and individual difference variables (e.g., psychological reactance). One hypothesis predicted adaptive responding (GWs would lower smoking-related intentions) and another predicted defensive responding (GWs would raise smoking-related intentions). METHODS: Participants were an online sample of 1,169 Americans ages 18–24, who were randomly assigned either to view nine GWs designed by the FDA or to a no-label control. Both the intention to smoke in the future and the intention to quit smoking (among smokers) were assessed before and after message exposure. RESULTS: GWs lowered intention to smoke in the future among those with a moderate lifetime smoking history (between 1 and 100 cigarettes), and they increased intention to quit smoking among those with a heavy lifetime smoking history (more than 100 cigarettes). Both effects were limited to individuals who had smoked in some but not all of the prior 30 days (i.e., occasional smokers). No evidence of defensive “boomerang effects” on intention was observed in any subgroup. CONCLUSION: Graphic warnings can reduce interest in smoking among occasional smokers, a finding that supports the adaptive-change hypothesis. GWs that target occasional smokers might be more effective at reducing cigarette smoking in young adults. Public Library of Science 2014-05-07 /pmc/articles/PMC4012950/ /pubmed/24806481 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096315 Text en © 2014 Blanton et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Blanton, Hart
Snyder, Leslie B.
Strauts, Erin
Larson, Joy G.
Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults
title Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults
title_full Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults
title_fullStr Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults
title_short Effect of Graphic Cigarette Warnings on Smoking Intentions in Young Adults
title_sort effect of graphic cigarette warnings on smoking intentions in young adults
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4012950/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24806481
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096315
work_keys_str_mv AT blantonhart effectofgraphiccigarettewarningsonsmokingintentionsinyoungadults
AT snyderleslieb effectofgraphiccigarettewarningsonsmokingintentionsinyoungadults
AT strautserin effectofgraphiccigarettewarningsonsmokingintentionsinyoungadults
AT larsonjoyg effectofgraphiccigarettewarningsonsmokingintentionsinyoungadults