title: Use and abuse of statistics in tobacco industry-funded research on standardised packaging.
abstract: In this commentary we consider the validity of tobacco industry-funded research on the effects of standardised packaging in Australia. As the first country to introduce standardised packs, Australia is closely watched, and Philip Morris International has recently funded two studies into the impact of the measure on smoking prevalence. Both of these papers are flawed in conception as well as design but have nonetheless been widely publicised as cautionary tales against standardised pack legislation. Specifically, we focus on the low statistical significance of the analytical methods used and the assumption that standardised packaging should have an immediate large impact on smoking prevalence.
authors: Department of Primary Care & Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Anthony A
authors: AA
authors: Laverty
authors: OxyRomandie, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Pascal
authors: P
authors: Diethelm
authors: NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College, London, UK.
authors: Nicholas S
authors: NS
authors: Hopkinson
authors: Department of Primary Care & Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Hilary C
authors: HC
authors: Watt
authors: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: McKee
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D019064:Product Packaging / Q000592:standards*; D012106:Research / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000592:standards*; D062789:Tobacco Products
keywords: Tobacco industry; packaging and labelling; public policy
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