Abstract
The US Food and Drug Administration is tasked with communicating information to the public about the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. Our study used eye tracking method to test the effectiveness of messages about the harmful chemicals in cigarettes smoke among adult smokers. A sample size of 211 current cigarette smokers viewed four communication messages that included: Health effects of a chemical in cigarette smoke and an image depicting the health effect. The messages focused on arsenic, formaldehyde, uranium, and general health. Eye tracking recorded the length of time participants viewed the text and the image. After each message, the participants were asked about the messages’ effectiveness in changing attitudes towards smoking. We analyzed the data using multilevel modeling, and of the 211 smokers, 59.7% were female, 36.5% were Black, and 21.3% had a high school degree or less. Compared to the general message, the messages about formaldehyde and uranium were more discouraging to smoking (p < 0.05). Messages about formaldehyde were more believable and made participants want to quit more than the general messages. Increasing message dose was significantly associated with discouraging participants from smoking and made participants want to quit (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that anti-smoking messages, containing chemical information, can successfully increase negative attitudes toward smoking cigarettes and potentially encourage quitting.
Highlights
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the USA [1,2]
When we modeled wanting to quit as the outcome, we found that the formaldehyde message (B = 0.97, p < 0.001) made them want to quit more than the general message
Boldface indicates significance at p < 0.05. This is one of the first studies using eye tracking technology to test the impact of cigarette smoke constituent messages among adult smokers
Summary
Smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco products, like cigars and pipes, contain at least 70 cancer-causing chemicals known as carcinogens [3]. Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been charged with regulating the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products [6]. Under their purview, the FDA is required to publicly disclose the ingredients (i.e., constituents) found in tobacco products. The FDA is required to publicly disclose the ingredients (i.e., constituents) found in tobacco products As part of this requirement, the FDA has established a list of 93 harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHC) in tobacco products and tobacco smoke, and the tobacco industry must report HPHC in their existing and newly marketed tobacco products [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
