Graphic Canadian cigarette warning labels and adverse outcomes: evidence from Canadian smokers.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the impact of graphic Canadian cigarette warning labels.


METHODS
We used a longitudinal telephone survey of 616 adult smokers.


RESULTS
Approximately one fifth of participants reported smoking less as a result of the labels; only 1% reported smoking more. Although participants reported negative emotional responses to the warnings including fear (44%) and disgust (58%), smokers who reported greater negative emotion were more likely to have quit, attempted to quit, or reduced their smoking 3 months later. Participants who attempted to avoid the warnings (30%) were no less likely to think about the warnings or engage in cessation behavior at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Policymakers should not be reluctant to introduce vivid or graphic warnings for fear of adverse outcomes.
Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada. dhammond@uwaterloo.ca
David
D
Hammond
Geoffrey T
GT
Fong
Paul W
PW
McDonald
K Stephen
KS
Brown
Roy
R
Cameron
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001296:Audiovisual Aids / Q000592:standards*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009341:Negativism; D009864:Ontario; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014026:Nicotiana