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. 2013 Feb;8(3):68-77.

The effect of cigarette plain packaging on individuals' health warning recall

Mohammed Al-Hamdani  1
Affiliations

The effect of cigarette plain packaging on individuals' health warning recall

Mohammed Al-Hamdani. Healthc Policy. 2013 Feb.

Abstract
in English, French

Purpose: To examine the extent to which increasingly plainer packaging might increase recall of health warnings.

Design: A 4 (pack ID levels) x 2 (smoking status: smokers and non-smokers) between-subjects design in which participants were randomly assigned to view one package.

Sample: Two hundred and twenty students from three universities in Nova Scotia, Canada, participated in the survey.

Measures: Participants were asked to recall the health warning on their package.

Analysis: A sequential binary logistic regression test to examine whether plain packaging and/or smoking status affects health warning recall.

Results: The odds of recalling the correct health warnings were significantly higher for the two plainest packages relative to the original package. The odds of recalling the correct health warning were also higher for non-smokers relative to smokers.

Conclusions: The results provide compelling evidence that health warnings on plain packages can be more easily recalled.

Objet:: Examiner à quel point l'utilisation d'emballages plus neutres peut augmenter la capacité de se souvenir des avertissements de santé.

Conception:: Un test d'effets inter-sujets 4 (niveaux d'identification des paquets) x 2 (usage du tabac: fumeurs et non-fumeurs) dans le cadre duquel les participants ont vu un paquet choisi aléatoirement.

Échantillon:: Deux cente vignt étudiants provenant de trois universités néo-écossaises (au Canada) ont participé à l'étude.

Mesures:: On a demandé aux participants de se souvenir du message d'avertissement de santé inscrit sur le paquet.

Analyse:: Une analyse de régression logistique séquentielle binaire a été employée pour voir si l'emballage neutre et/ou l'usage du tabac affecte le souvenir des avertissements de santé.

Résultats:: La probabilité de se souvenir d'un avertissement de santé donné était beaucoup plus élevée pour les deux types d'emballages les plus neutres comparativement au paquet original. La probabilité de se souvenir du bon message de santé était aussi plus élevée chez les non-fumeurs, par rapport aux fumeurs.

Conclusions:: Les résultats prouvent que les avertissements de santé sur des emballages neutres peuvent être plus faciles à retenir.

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Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Packs that were randomly assigned to study participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beede P., Lawson R. 1992. “The Effect of Plain Packages on the Perception of Cigarette Health Warnings.” Journal of Public Health 106(4): 315–22 - PubMed
    1. Cohen J. 1988. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
    1. Feinleib M. 2001. “The Epidemiologist's Responsibilities to Study Participants.” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 44(1): 73–79 - PubMed
    1. Freeman B., Chapman S., Rimmer M. 2008. “The Case for the Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products.” Addiction 103(4): 580–90 - PubMed
    1. Germain D.B., Wakefield M.A., Durkin S.J. 2009. “Adolescents' Perceptions of Cigarette Brand Image: Does Plain Packaging Make a Difference?” Journal of Adolescent Health 46(4): 1–8 - PubMed

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