title: Tobacco health warning messages on plain cigarette packs and in television campaigns: a qualitative study with Australian socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers.
abstract: Television advertisements, packaging regulations and health warning labels (HWLs) are designed to communicate anti-smoking messages to large number of smokers. However, only a few studies have examined how high smoking prevalence groups respond to these warnings. This study explored how socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers engage with health risk and cessation benefit messages. Six focus groups were conducted over September 2012-April 2013 with adult clients of welfare organizations in regional New South Wales, Australia who were current smokers (n = 51). Participants discussed HWLs, plain packaging and anti-smoking television advertisements. Discussions were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Highly emotive warnings delivering messages of negative health effects were most likely to capture the attention of the study participants; however, these warning messages did not prompt quit attempts and participants were sceptical about the effectiveness of cessation programmes such as telephone quitlines. Active avoidance of health warning messages was common, and many expressed false and self-exempting beliefs towards the harms of tobacco. Careful consideration of message content and medium is required to communicate the anti-smoking message to disadvantaged smokers who consider themselves desensitized to warnings. Health communication strategies should continue to address false beliefs about smoking and educate on cessation services that are currently underutilized.
authors: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle 2308, Australia ashleigh.guillaumier@newcastle.edu.au.
authors: Ashleigh
authors: A
authors: Guillaumier
authors: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle 2308, Australia.
authors: Billie
authors: B
authors: Bonevski
authors: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle 2308, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle 2308, Australia.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Paul
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D011203:Poverty; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013690:Television; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D055815:Young Adult