title: Scaring the snus out of smokers: testing effects of fear, threat, and efficacy on smokers' acceptance of novel smokeless tobacco products.
abstract: Novel smokeless tobacco products (such as snus) are aggressively promoted to smokers by the tobacco companies. The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; Witte, 1992) was used to evaluate the current perceptions of threat, efficacy, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding snus in a nationally representative sample of 1,836 smokers. Participants were then exposed to messages designed to discourage smokers from trying snus. On average, smokers perceived health threat of snus as somewhat serious, but believed they can effectively avert this threat. Support was found for the EPPM's proposition that when efficacy is high, greater perceived threat is associated with greater desired outcomes (less favorable attitudes toward snus and lower behavioral intentions to try snus in the future). No support was found for the proposition that when perceived efficacy is low, greater threat is associated with greater message rejection. Instead, message rejection was explained by fear felt while exposed to the anti-smokeless ads. This finding indicates the need to more clearly distinguish between cognitive (danger control) and affective (fear control) responses posited by the EPPM.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education , University of California , San Francisco.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Popova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless; D055815:Young Adult