Graphic warning labels and plain cigarette packaging are two health initiatives developed to encourage quit behavior among smokers. Little research has been conducted on the interpretation of graphic warning labels and plain cigarette packaging among adolescents, a group vulnerable to smoking experimentation.
In a study of 14-16 year old students in Auckland, New Zealand, co-author Professor Linda Cameron and colleagues found that plain cigarette packs in combination with graphic warning labels increased the salience and impact of the warning labels, increased perceptions of harm caused by smoking, and reduced the social appeal of smoking.
Qualitative data collected from focus groups revealed that the adolescents believed plain cigarette packs make smoking “look budget” and therefore unappealing. The adolescents described the plain packages with graphic warning labels as “straight to the point,” “more harmful,” and “unattractive”. These findings support the implementation of plain packaging to prevent smoking uptake among young people.
This article was published in Social Science & Medicine, Volume 74, Issue 8.
