Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students
Aaron Drovandi, Peta-Ann Teague, Beverley Glass, Bunmi Malau-AduliCollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaIntroduction: Young adults are a vulnerable population for experimentation with tobacco, which can lead to lifelong addiction. In an effort to ensure...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Dove Medical Press
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Psychology Research and Behavior Management |
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| Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/do-health-warnings-on-cigarette-sticks-dissuade-smokers-and-non-smoker-peer-reviewed-article-PRBM |
| _version_ | 1818386394513408000 |
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| author | Drovandi A Teague PA Glass B Malau-Aduli B |
| author_facet | Drovandi A Teague PA Glass B Malau-Aduli B |
| author_sort | Drovandi A |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aaron Drovandi, Peta-Ann Teague, Beverley Glass, Bunmi Malau-AduliCollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaIntroduction: Young adults are a vulnerable population for experimentation with tobacco, which can lead to lifelong addiction. In an effort to ensure reductions in tobacco use through improved health promotion materials, we explored young adults’ perceptions of current Australian packaging warnings, and novel health warnings on individual cigarette sticks.Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with smoking and non-smoking first-year undergraduate university students at a regional Australian university. Semi-structured questions were used to gather participant perceptions. Sixteen students participated across three focus groups, and eleven students participated in the phone interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis in NVivo.Results: Six emergent themes were identified. Current cigarette packaging warnings were seen as ineffective, being disregarded by current smokers (theme 1), and seen as irrelevant by young adult smokers and non-smokers (theme 2). Several cigarette stick warnings were perceived as engaging and effective, due to the novelty of the cigarette stick as a medium (theme 3), and the proximal nature of the warnings used (theme 4). The warning depicting the financial consequences of smoking was considered the most effective, followed by the impact of smoking on personal appearance, and the “minutes of life lost” warning. Social media (theme 5), and the use of more supportive messages to assist smokers (theme 6) were considered the best next steps as tobacco control interventions.Conclusions: Supplementing packaging warnings which were seen as minimally effective in this study, using cigarette stick warnings and social media may lead to further reductions in tobacco use. New and relatable warnings such as the financial consequences of smoking and impact on personal appearance may be the most effective in dissuading young adults from smoking, particularly within the university environment.Keywords: health promotion, health behavior, public health, tobacco control |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T03:53:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ddb7ceb026724b5180e1f298f994312b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1179-1578 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T03:53:21Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psychology Research and Behavior Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-ddb7ceb026724b5180e1f298f994312b2022-12-21T23:18:10ZengDove Medical PressPsychology Research and Behavior Management1179-15782019-05-01Volume 1236137345769Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university studentsDrovandi ATeague PAGlass BMalau-Aduli BAaron Drovandi, Peta-Ann Teague, Beverley Glass, Bunmi Malau-AduliCollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, AustraliaIntroduction: Young adults are a vulnerable population for experimentation with tobacco, which can lead to lifelong addiction. In an effort to ensure reductions in tobacco use through improved health promotion materials, we explored young adults’ perceptions of current Australian packaging warnings, and novel health warnings on individual cigarette sticks.Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with smoking and non-smoking first-year undergraduate university students at a regional Australian university. Semi-structured questions were used to gather participant perceptions. Sixteen students participated across three focus groups, and eleven students participated in the phone interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis in NVivo.Results: Six emergent themes were identified. Current cigarette packaging warnings were seen as ineffective, being disregarded by current smokers (theme 1), and seen as irrelevant by young adult smokers and non-smokers (theme 2). Several cigarette stick warnings were perceived as engaging and effective, due to the novelty of the cigarette stick as a medium (theme 3), and the proximal nature of the warnings used (theme 4). The warning depicting the financial consequences of smoking was considered the most effective, followed by the impact of smoking on personal appearance, and the “minutes of life lost” warning. Social media (theme 5), and the use of more supportive messages to assist smokers (theme 6) were considered the best next steps as tobacco control interventions.Conclusions: Supplementing packaging warnings which were seen as minimally effective in this study, using cigarette stick warnings and social media may lead to further reductions in tobacco use. New and relatable warnings such as the financial consequences of smoking and impact on personal appearance may be the most effective in dissuading young adults from smoking, particularly within the university environment.Keywords: health promotion, health behavior, public health, tobacco controlhttps://www.dovepress.com/do-health-warnings-on-cigarette-sticks-dissuade-smokers-and-non-smoker-peer-reviewed-article-PRBMHealth PromotionHealth BehaviorPublic HealthTobacco Control |
| spellingShingle | Drovandi A Teague PA Glass B Malau-Aduli B Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students Psychology Research and Behavior Management Health Promotion Health Behavior Public Health Tobacco Control |
| title | Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students |
| title_full | Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students |
| title_fullStr | Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students |
| title_short | Do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non-smokers? A focus group and interview study of Australian university students |
| title_sort | do health warnings on cigarette sticks dissuade smokers and non smokers a focus group and interview study of australian university students |
| topic | Health Promotion Health Behavior Public Health Tobacco Control |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/do-health-warnings-on-cigarette-sticks-dissuade-smokers-and-non-smoker-peer-reviewed-article-PRBM |
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