Abstract
The current study aims to reveal whether using COVID-19 as the threatening message in anti-smoking ads will influence smokers differently than other threat appeals. All ads that were chosen for this study were created by the Israel Cancer Association/the Israeli Ministry of Health. Since the coronavirus has proven to have far-reaching effects on the human respiratory system, it is directly connected to smoking. The present study included semi-structured in-depth interviews with experts, a pre-test (n = 106) and an online questionnaire including 721 participants (adults aged 18–30 versus 55+). The findings indicated that when using the COVID-19 symbol as the threatening message in an anti-smoking ad for the older participants, smoking cessation intentions were higher than when using a cigarette simulating a ‘gunpoint’ threat (p < 0.08). Additionally, when using the COVID-19 symbol, there was a positive relation between participants’ age and smoking cessation intentions. The average smoking cessation intention for the participants from the older age group (M = 3.05, SD = 1.07) was higher than the average for the participants from the young age group (M = 2.80, SD = 1.13). Finally, when using impotence (for men) and pregnancy risks (for women) as the threatening message in the ads for young respondents, smoking cessation intentions were higher than when using COVID-19 (p < 0.05). The results may help decision-makers and public health officials in choosing the marketing communication suited for conveying messages aimed to encourage people to reduce/quit smoking.
Highlights
In late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered in Wuhan, China, causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1,2]
The findings indicated that when using the COVID-19 symbol as the threatening message in an anti-smoking ad for the older participants, smoking cessation intentions were higher than when using a cigarette simulating a ‘gunpoint’ threat (p < 0.08)
Since we aimed to differentiate between participants who belong to a segment in the population that is deeply affected by the virus and the much younger population, for whom the threat of becoming severely ill is minor, we chose to focus our study on these margin age groups
Summary
In late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered in Wuhan, China, causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1,2]. On. 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. According to WHO, the COVID-19 death toll worldwide was 4,390,467 as of 19 August 2021, and it has been rising daily. COVID-19 manifestations are extremely diverse [1], with the majority of infected individuals suffering from mild symptoms or having no symptoms at all [3]. Mortality rates occur predominantly in the subgroup of patients who have severe respiratory failure. The major entrance ways of the virus are through mucosal tissues: the mouth, nose, and upper respiratory tract [4]
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