The WHO recommended pictorial health warnings (PHWs) on cigarette packs in 2003 to educate and warn the public of smoking effects. Malaysia too has implemented this policy since 2009. This study explored the public’s understanding of the gazetted PHWs depicted on cigarette packs available in Malaysia. A qualitative study using four focus group discussions (FGDs) was conducted among smokers and non-smokers aged 18–40 in Malacca, Peninsular Malaysia. Thematic analyses were performed using the Atlas Ti version 8.0 software. Six themes have emerged reflecting the public’s understanding of the existing PHWs in Malaysia, namely, (i) awareness and exposures, (ii) recall and attention, (iii) perceived goals, (iv) perceived target groups, (v) attitude in understanding, and (vi) knowledge and meaning of PHWs. All participants were aware of the PHWs depicted on legal cigarettes but not seen on most illicit cigarettes. PHWs were perceived to give awareness and warning about the smoking effects targeting smokers and non-smokers. Participants understood the lung and oral health-related images easily than other body parts such as gangrene foot, miscarriages, etc. Besides enforcement on illicit cigarettes without PHWs, policymakers or relevant authorities should emphasize creating relevant and clear pictorial messages in educating the public to avoid confusion affecting the public’s understanding of the PHWs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.