Adolescents' response to text-only tobacco health warnings: results from the 2008 UK Youth Tobacco Policy Survey.
BACKGROUND
As of June 2009 most (89%) European Union member states continue to use mandated text-only health warnings on tobacco products. This study assessed adolescent (aged 11-16 years) perceptions of and reactions to these text warnings on cigarette packs in the UK.


METHODS
Data comes from wave five of the cross-sectional Youth Tobacco Policy Survey in 2008. A total of 1401 adolescents were recruited and health warnings were assessed in terms of salience (noticing, reading), comprehension and credibility, memorability (recall), depth of processing (contemplating, discussing) and persuasiveness (put off smoking, make more likely to stop). Smokers were also asked about behavioural compliance (foregoing cigarettes due to warnings, avoidance of warnings) and perceptions of harm from their smoking (to indirectly assess possible knowledge gained from warnings).


RESULTS
Despite moderately high salience of warnings, memorability and, in particular, depth of processing was quite low, with warnings only sometimes thought about and very rarely discussed. Warnings were however considered comprehensible, credible and a reasonable deterrent for occasional and never smokers. Additionally, a third of regular smokers indicated that, in the last month, warnings had stopped them from having a cigarette. However, only 6% of smokers indicated that warnings made them forego cigarettes frequently.


CONCLUSIONS
Text warnings help to communicate the dangers associated with smoking and, resultantly, prompt a small number of smokers to forgo cigarettes and take action to avoid warnings, but depth of processing is low and warnings do not appear to be achieving their full potential among smokers.
Moodie
Crawford
C
Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
MacKintosh
Anne Marie
AM
Hammond
Dave
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D060145:Text Messaging