Pictorial health warnings and wear-out effects: evidence from a web experiment in 10 European countries

Abstract

ObjectiveThis paper examines whether there are possible wear-out effects associated with repeated exposure to pictorial health warnings on tobacco products. Wear-out effects can be general, that is, people get used to the presence of pictorial warnings in general, or specific to the content of the warnings (ie, the images used). Distinguishing between these two types of wear-out is important for understanding how to maintain the effectiveness of health warnings over time.MethodsThis study used data from two surveys carried out in 10 European countries. Participants (n=12 600) were exposed in a random order to a series of health warnings and assessed the salience of the warnings as well as their effects on smoking intentions. Using these data and country variations in health warning legislation, we tested whether warning pictures are subject to general and/or specific wear-out effects.ResultsResponses were stronger to combined text+picture warnings than to text-only warnings. This effect was lower for smokers living in countries where combined warnings were already in place at the time of the data collection, compared with smokers residing in countries where text-only warnings were in use. This result, observed for combined warnings with new pictures, is in line with the presence of general wear-out effects. Combined warnings with an unknown pictorial content were more effective than those including pictorial warnings already in use, suggesting that specific wear-out effects are also at play.ConclusionsThese findings strengthen the evidence that pictorial health warnings are an effective tool for tobacco control policies and suggest that, even in the presence of a general wear-out effect among smokers, periodically introducing new pictures helps to maintain warning effectiveness over time.

The effectiveness of graphic health warnings on tobacco products: a systematic review on perceived harm and quit intentions

“…GHWs are an important component of the suite of tobacco control policies [63][64][65]. Literature has identified that a significant wear out becomes present when GHW are left in market over sustained periods [36,66,67]. To contribute to the evidence base, this review aimed to systematically identify and synthesize evidence from longitudinal studies which tested different GHW formats and message frames to understand the effects on perceived risk of smoking and benefits of quitting and intentions to quit smoking.…”

Impact of smoking on the income level of Chinese urban residents: a two-wave follow-up of the China Family Panel Study

“…Studies have shown that the combination of text and pictures is more alarming than just a text warning. 34 It is therefore recommended to promote the use of warning pictures instead of the traditional text warnings on cigarette packages.…”

Warnings and packaging

“…The ability of health warnings to remain relevant and continue to command attention is an important question in public health education. Woelbert and d'Hombres 1 conducted a large experimental study in 10 European countries that had implemented differing warning styles. They find that graphic and text combined have a maximum effect in reducing intentions to smoke, but that this was attenuated in countries that had already implemented this warning style.…”