Summary 1
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School
Pennsylvania State University *
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Course
410
Subject
Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
2
Uploaded by hn101
Summary 1
Introduction
Health warnings on cigarette packages effectively raise awareness and encourage quitting, but e-
cigarette warnings often only address nicotine addiction. This study aimed to create eight alternative health messages for e-cigarettes, highlighting their relative risks compared to smoking. Results indicate that some messages performed as well as current EU warnings, potentially correcting misconceptions that hinder smokers from choosing the less harmful option.
Methods
A total of 26 messages, varying in grammatical perspectives and risk levels, were created, and assessed by 12 experts in e-cigarettes, tobacco control, and behavior change. These experts evaluated the messages for accuracy, persuasiveness, and clarity. Based on their feedback, 8 messages with the highest scores were further assessed by almost 1,000 public participants, including smokers, nonsmokers, and dual users. The analysis examined differences in ratings between messages and participant smoking status groups.
Results
The study found that two TPD messages were rated the highest on understandability, believability, and convincingness, followed by four relative risk messages. These messages were “Completely switching to e-cigarettes lowers your risk of smoking-related diseases”, “Use of this
product is much less harmful than smoking”, “Completely switching to e-cigarettes is a healthier alternative to smoking”, and “This product presents substantially lower risks to health than cigarettes.” The study also found that non-smokers rated TPD1 higher than dual users, with dual users expressing the product as a safer alternative.
Discussion
Current e-cigarette (EC) health warnings may deter smokers from switching to vaping. To encourage EC use, it is proposed that warning labels shift focus from absolute harms to risks relative to smoking. While TPD messages scored highest in understandability, believability, and convincingness, they did not differ from other relative risk messages. Non-smokers favored TBD1 for nicotine addiction, while dual users preferred RRM12 as a safer alternative. These various ratings may be influenced by pre-existing beliefs about health risks and nicotine addiction. Despite unfamiliarity, four messages matched TPD’s persuasiveness, indicating potential for future studies.
Conclusion
The study developed and tested eight alternative health messages for e-cigarette packaging, comparing them with the current EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) messages in terms of understandability, believability, and convincingness Although the TPD messages received the highest overall rating, four relative risk messages show no significant difference. Notably, dual
users tended to favor the relative risk messages over smokers and non-smokers. This suggests that these messages might encourage smokers to switch by emphasizing relative risks without unintentionally increasing uptake among nonsmokers. However, additional research is required to assess these messages in various populations and regulatory settings.
Why is this paper important to the field and how the contributions will advance health knowledge? This study addresses the pressing need for effective communication strategies surrounding electronic cigarettes, given their growing prevalence. With these products becoming more common, it is essential to educate consumers, particularly smokers, about the relative risks compared to traditional smoking. The study's insights into message understandability, believability, and convincingness provide valuable information for crafting impactful health communication. This research contributes to evidence-based strategies for shaping public health interventions and policies related to electronic cigarettes, ultimately playing a role in enhancing the overall well-being of individuals and communities.
References
Albery, I. P., Cox, S., Dawkins, L., Frings, D., & Kimber, C. (2021). Development and testing of relative risk-based health messages for electronic cigarette products. Harm Reduction Journal, 18(96). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00540-1
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