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. 2004 Aug;94(8):1442-5.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.8.1442.

Graphic Canadian cigarette warning labels and adverse outcomes: evidence from Canadian smokers

David Hammond  1 , Geoffrey T Fong, Paul W McDonald, K Stephen Brown, Roy Cameron
Affiliations

Graphic Canadian cigarette warning labels and adverse outcomes: evidence from Canadian smokers

David Hammond et al. Am J Public Health. 2004 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed the impact of graphic Canadian cigarette warning labels.

Methods: We used a longitudinal telephone survey of 616 adult smokers.

Results: Approximately one fifth of participants reported smoking less as a result of the labels; only 1% reported smoking more. Although participants reported negative emotional responses to the warnings including fear (44%) and disgust (58%), smokers who reported greater negative emotion were more likely to have quit, attempted to quit, or reduced their smoking 3 months later. Participants who attempted to avoid the warnings (30%) were no less likely to think about the warnings or engage in cessation behavior at follow-up.

Conclusions: Policymakers should not be reluctant to introduce vivid or graphic warnings for fear of adverse outcomes.

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FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Self-reported outcomes of Canadian warning labels, at baseline (n = 616). *P < .001.
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