title: The efficacy of cigarette warning labels on health beliefs in the United States and Mexico.
abstract: Concern over health risks is the most common motivation for quitting smoking. Health warnings on tobacco packages are among the most prominent interventions to convey the health risks of smoking. Face-to-face surveys were conducted in Mexico (n = 1,072), and a web-based survey was conducted in the US (n = 1,449) to examine the efficacy of health warning labels on health beliefs. Respondents were randomly assigned to view two sets of health warnings (each with one text-only warning and 5-6 pictorial warnings) for two different health effects. Respondents were asked whether they believed smoking caused 12 different health effects. Overall, the findings indicate high levels of health knowledge in both countries for some health effects, although significant knowledge gaps remained; for example, less than half of respondents agreed that smoking causes impotence and less than one third agreed that smoking causes gangrene. Mexican respondents endorsed a greater number of correct beliefs about the health effects of smoking than did the U.S. sample. In both countries, viewing related health warning labels increased beliefs about the health risks of smoking, particularly for less well-known health effects such as gangrene, impotence, and stroke.
authors.affiliation: a School of Public Health and Health Systems , University of Waterloo , Waterloo , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Seema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mutti
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Jessica L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thrasher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D062789:Tobacco Products; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
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