Eye movement responses to health messages on cigarette packages

Abstract

BackgroundWhile the majority of the health messages on cigarette packages contain threatening health information, previous studies indicate that risk information can trigger defensive reactions, especially when the information is self-relevant (i.e., smokers). Providing coping information, information that provides help for quitting smoking, might increase attention to health messages instead of triggering defensive reactions.MethodsEye-movement registration can detect attention preferences for different health education messages over a longer period of time during message exposure. In a randomized, experimental study with 23 smoking and 41 non-smoking student volunteers, eye-movements were recorded for sixteen self-created cigarette packages containing health texts that presented either high risk or coping information combined with a high threat or a low threat smoking-related photo.ResultsResults of the eye movement data showed that smokers tend to spend more time looking (i.e., more unique fixations and longer dwell time) at the coping information than at the high risk information irrespective of the content of the smoking-related photo. Non-smokers tend to spend more time looking at the high risk information than at the coping information when the information was presented in combination with a high threat smoking photo. When a low threat photo was presented, non-smokers paid more attention to the coping information than to the high risk information. Results for the smoking photos showed more attention allocation for low threat photos that were presented in combination with high risk information than for low threat photos in combination with coping information. No attention differences were found for the high threat photos.ConclusionsNon-smokers demonstrated an attention preference for high risk information as opposed to coping information, but only when text information was presented in combination with a high threat photo. For smokers, however, our findings suggest more attention allocation for coping information than for health risk information. This preference for coping information is not reflected in current health messages to motivate smokers to quit smoking. Coping information should be more frequently implemented in health message design to increase attention for these messages and thus contribute to effective persuasion.

Characteristics of warning labels for drug containers and their effects on perceived hazardousness

“…Results showed that graphic warnings lowered participants' intentions to smoke in the future among those with a lifetime history of moderate smoking, and they increased the intention to quit smoking among those with a lifetime history of heavy smoking. These results are consistent with previous studies (Fong et al, 2009;Hammond, 2011;Kessels and Ruiter, 2012;Sobani et al, 2010) showing that pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages are more effective than text in informing consumers about the health risks associated with tobacco use and that they eventually lead to behavior change, as evidenced by an increase in the rate of smoking cessation.…”

The identification of viewing patterns of chocolate snack packages using eye-tracking techniques

“…In previous investigations conducted using eye-tracking technology, participants were given more time to view the packages (Strasser et al, 2012;Kessel & Ruiter, 2012;Piqueras-Fiszman et al, 2013;Clement et al, 2013). However, as this study analyses an impulse buy product, the research focused on finding out what a subject is able to view in his initial brief visual engagement with a product of these characteristics.…”

“…This technique seeks to find out which packaging elements capture user attention when they are carrying out a specific task, such as deciding how healthy a packaged product is. Other studies focus on examining stimulus-driven attention (Kessel & Ruiter, 2012;Strasser, Tang, Romer, Jepson, & Cappella, 2012). This technique studies the areas on a packaging that capture user attention when they do not have to carry out a specific task, observing stimuli.…”

Targeting Smokers With Empathy Appeal Antismoking Public Service Announcements: A Field Experiment

“…It is well documented that this most-at-risk group is also the one that resist antismoking messages the most, in the form of selective attention and perception (e.g., Hwang, 2010), defensive avoidance (e.g., Kessels & Ruiter, 2012), biased perception (e.g., Freeman et al, 2000), and psychological reactance (e.g., Erceg-Hurn & Steed, 2011). The main effect of smoker status confirmed this resistance from smokers: Nonsmokers found the antismoking messages to be most effective, while regular smokers found them to be the least effective (cf.…”