How Graphic Visual Health Warnings Affect Young Smokers’ Thoughts of Quitting

Abstract

Two-thirds of adolescent and young adult smokers become lifetime smokers, and one-half of those lifetime smokers will die from this habit. The authors examine alternative persuasive pathways to thoughts of quitting taken by adolescent and young adult smokers when exposed to graphic visual health warnings on cigarette packages. For adolescent smokers, the authors find that graphic warnings and smoking frequency affect fear, and fear influences negative health beliefs about smoking, ultimately increasing thoughts of quitting. They also find that the graphic warning and a graphic warning smoking frequency interaction have incremental effects on quit thoughts beyond the effects of fear and negative health beliefs. Using a longitudinal design with a sample of young adult smokers, the authors find support for many of the adolescent smoker findings, particularly the incremental effects of graphicness and its interaction with smoking frequency. These similar results from diverse samples support the use of graphic visual warnings but suggest that effects are attenuated for those who smoke the most. The authors offer implications for countermarketing programs and public health policy.

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

“…These results are generally consistent with research pertaining to the effects of pictorial warnings on smokers' cognitive responses and attitude change (Andrews et al, 2014;Munoz et al, 2013;Schneider et al, 2012). One conclusion to be drawn from this body of research is that pictorial fear-arousing messages are perceived by subjects as particularly effective, and they have been associated with increased thinking about health risks (Hammond et al, 2004), suggesting that fear mediates the efficacy of health warnings (Sweet et al, 2003).…”

“…The main purposes of warnings are to assist individuals in making informed decisions by conveying pertinent information, to reduce or decrease injuries and health problems by encouraging safe behaviors, and to remind users of potential hazards (Wogalter and Laughery, 2005). Warnings are important communication devices to help persuade and motivate changes in user's behavior (Andrews et al, 2014). An appropriate warning helps manufacturer to alert users regarding the proper use of a product and the consequences of its misuse (Rice, 2013).…”

Government Efforts to Aid Consumer Well-Being

“…Yet, given that 88 percent of current smokers begin during adolescence, an important population for the study of the GHWs is adolescent smokers (Kessler et al, 1997;Surgeon General Report, 2012). In a study of dual pathways to persuasion, Andrews, Netemeyer, Kees, and Burton (2014) find that both emotional responses (evoked fear) and beliefs from the GHWs affected adolescent smokers' thoughts of quitting. Evoked fear is found to have a stronger effect than beliefs in mediating the effects of GHWs on quit thoughts for adolescent smokers, yet this is reversed in a longitudinal study of young adult smokers.…”

Effects of plain package branding and graphic health warnings on adolescent smokers in the USA, Spain and France

“…Still, relatively few controlled experiments have been conducted to test the effectiveness of GHWs,14–26 which are necessary to establish cause and effect relationships 27 28. For example, experimental studies have shown that the level of graphicness affects quit thoughts for adolescent smokers, with both high and moderate graphic levels being more effective than low or no graphic warnings 15 22…”