Relationship of cigarette-related perceptions to cigarette design features: findings from the 2009 ITC U.S. Survey.
BACKGROUND
Many governments around the world have banned the use of misleading cigarette descriptors such as "light" and "mild" because the cigarettes so labeled were found not to reduce smokers' health risks. However, underlying cigarette design features, which are retained in many brands, likely contribute to ongoing belief that these cigarettes are less harmful by producing perceptions of lightness/smoothness through lighter taste and reduced harshness and irritation.


METHODS
Participants (N = 320) were recruited from the International Tobacco Control U.S. Survey conducted in 2009 and 2010, when they answered questions about smoking behavior, attitudes and beliefs about tobacco products, and key mediators and moderators of tobacco use behaviors. Participants also submitted an unopened pack of their usual brand of cigarettes for analysis using established methods.


RESULTS
Own-brand filter ventilation level (M 29%, range 0%-71%) was consistently associated with perceived lightness (p < .001) and smoothness (p = .005) of own brand. Those whose brand bore a light/mild label (55% of participants) were more likely to report their cigarettes were lighter [71.9% vs. 41.9%; χ(2)(2) = 38.1, p < .001] and smoother than other brands [75.5% vs. 68.7%; χ(2)(2) = 7.8, p = .020].


CONCLUSIONS
Product design features, particularly filter ventilation, influence smokers' beliefs about product attributes such as lightness and smoothness, independent of package labels. Regulation of cigarette design features such as filter ventilation should be considered as a complement to removal of misleading terms in order to reduce smokers' misperceptions regarding product risks.
Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY;
Richard J
RJ
O'Connor
Rosalie V
RV
Caruso
Ron
R
Borland
K Michael
KM
Cummings
Maansi
M
Bansal-Travers
Brian V
BV
Fix
Bill
B
King
David
D
Hammond
Geoffrey T
GT
Fong
D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011356:Product Labeling; D019064:Product Packaging; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D013649:Taste; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000145:classification*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult