title: Perceptions and impact of plain packaging of tobacco products in low and middle income countries, middle to upper income countries and low-income settings in high-income countries: a systematic review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the current literature around the potential impact, effectiveness and perceptions of plain packaging in low income settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  9 databases (PubMed, Global Health, Social Policy and Practice, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), CINAHL, PsycINFO, British Library for Development Studies (BLDS), Global Health Library and Scopus) were searched. The terms used for searching combined terms for smoking and tobacco use with terms for plain packaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies investigating the impact of plain packaging on the determinants of tobacco use, such as smoking behaviour, appeal, prominence, effectiveness of health warnings, response to plain packs, attitudes towards quitting or likelihood of smoking in low-income settings, were identified. Studies must have been published in English and be original research of any level of rigour.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two independent reviewers assessed studies for inclusion and extracted data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results were synthesised qualitatively, with themes grouped under four key headings: appeal and attractiveness; salience of health warnings and perceptions of harm; enjoyment and perceived taste ratings; and perceptions of the impact on tobacco usage behaviour.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review has identified four articles that met the inclusion criteria. Studies identified that tobacco products in plain packaging had less appeal than in branded packaging in low-income settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review indicates that plain packaging appears to be successful in reducing appeal of smoking and packets, and supports the call for plain packaging to be widely implemented in conjunction with other tobacco control policies. However, there are considerable gaps in the amount of research conducted outside high-income countries.
authors.affiliation: Nossal Institute for Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Division, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arora
authors.affiliation: Nossal Institute for Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grills
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D019049:Developed Countries; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000145:classification*; D011203:Poverty; D011356:Product Labeling; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D062789:Tobacco Products
keywords: PUBLIC HEALTH