PRS3 - Graphic Health Warnings on Cigarette Packs in Qatar: Pre-Implementation Awareness and Perception Among the General Public

Abstract

 Qatar is among the countries that signed and ratified the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in July, 2004.(1)  Article 11 of the FCTC on packaging and labelling of tobacco products stresses the importance of health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use.  Such warnings and messages on packages may be in the form of or include pictorial health warnings (PHW) or text warnings.(2)  PHW on cigarette packs have been shown to increase cessation behavior among smokers. (3)  Studies in countries which have introduced PHW on cigarette packs demonstrate that this measure is beneficial in improving behavior change. (3 – 5)  There are currently text-only warning labels on tobacco products and laws that impose on tobacco companies to display graphic labels on tobacco products in Qatar are yet to be realized. Graphic health warnings on cigarette packs in Qatar: preimplementation awareness and perception among the general public