Effects of Current and Enhanced Tobacco Corrective Messages on Smokers’ Intention to Quit Smoking and Intention to Purchase Cigarettes

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella J Lee ◽  
Ashley Sanders-Jackson ◽  
Andy S L Tan
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Federal Court ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Intention To Purchase ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Intentions To Quit ◽  
Current Tobacco

Abstract Introduction A federal court has ordered tobacco companies to issue corrective messages to address tobacco-related misperceptions. This study examined the effects of viewing current versus two enhanced versions of tobacco corrective messages on smokers’ intention to quit smoking and intention to purchase cigarettes. Methods US adult smokers (N = 803) were randomly assigned to view (1) two current tobacco corrective messages (Current), (2) two corrective messages that include an industry deception statement (Industry Deception), or (3) two corrective messages with an industry deception statement and testimonials of people harmed by smoking (Industry Deception + Testimonial). Outcomes were pretest–posttest change in intentions to quit smoking and posttest intention to purchase cigarette measures. Results Intention to quit smoking increased significantly after viewing the Current corrective messages versus baseline. In addition, viewing the Industry Deception + Testimonial messages increased intention to quit smoking compared with the Current corrective condition and the Industry Deception condition. Hispanic smokers had increased intention to quit smoking and decreased intention to purchase cigarettes to a greater degree than non-Hispanic smokers in response to Industry Deception + Testimonial messages. There was no significant difference in intention to purchase cigarettes across conditions. Conclusions Enhancing the current corrective statements by including an industry deception statement and testimonials may strengthen effects and contribute to remedying the effects of tobacco misinformation. Implications Previous research has found that draft or proposed versions of tobacco industry corrective messages are effective in correcting beliefs and knowledge. However, studies have not examined how the current court-ordered corrective messages could change intention to quit smoking and intention to purchase cigarettes nor whether enhanced messages could perform better. Study findings suggest that the current corrective messages can increase smokers’ intention to quit smoking beyond their baseline intention. More importantly, enhancing corrective messages by including an industry deception statement and testimonial was found to be more effective than current corrective messages. Findings can inform future iterations of tobacco correctives and strategies to reverse the effects of tobacco misinformation.

scholarly journals Using Serious Games for Antismoking Health Campaigns: Experimental Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihyun Kim ◽  
Hayeon Song ◽  
Kelly Merrill Jr ◽  
Younbo Jung ◽  
Remi Junghuem Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Serious Games ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
The United States ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Fear Appeal ◽  
Health Campaign ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Significant Difference

BACKGROUND Serious games for health have been gaining in popularity among scholars and practitioners. However, there remain a few questions to be addressed. OBJECTIVE This study tests the effects of a serious game and fear appeals on smoking-related outcomes. More specifically, this research aims to understand how serious games function as a more effective vehicle for a health campaign than a traditional medium, such as a print-based pamphlet. Further, while serious games utilize a variety of persuasive strategies in the game’s content, it is not clear whether fear appeals, which are widely used persuasive-message strategies for health, can be an effective strategy in serious games. Thus, we are testing the effect of fear appeals in a serious game. METHODS We created a computer game and a print brochure to educate participants about the risks of smoking. More specifically, a flash-based single-player game was developed in which players were asked to avoid cigarettes in the gameplay context. We also developed an online brochure based on existing smoking-related brochures at a university health center; antismoking messages on the computer game and in the brochure were comparable. Then, an experiment using a 2 (media type: game vs. print) x 2 (fearful image: fear vs. no-fear) between-subjects design was conducted. The study recruitment was announced to undergraduate students enrolled in a large, public Midwestern university in the United States. After a screening test, a total of 72 smokers, who reported smoking in the past 30 days, participated in the experiment. RESULTS Overall, gameplay, when compared to print-based pamphlets, had greater impacts on attitudes toward smoking and the intention to quit smoking. Further, the game’s persuasive effects were especially pronounced when messages contained fear appeals. When fearful images were presented, participants in the game condition reported significantly more negative attitudes toward social smoking than those in the print condition [<i>F</i>(1,67)=7.28; <i>P</i>=.009; <i>η</i><sub>p<sup>2</sup></sub>=0.10]. However, in the no-fear condition, there was no significant difference between the conditions [<i>F</i>(1,67)=0.25; <i>P</i>=.620]. Similarly, the intention to quit smoking [<i>F</i>(1,67)=4.64; <i>P</i>=.035; <i>η</i><sub>p<sup>2</sup></sub>=0.07] and susceptibility [<i>F</i>(1,67)=6.92; <i>P</i>=.011; <i>η</i><sub>p<sup>2</sup></sub>=0.09] were also significantly different between the conditions, but only when fear appeals were used. CONCLUSIONS This study extends fear appeal research by investigating the effects of different media types. It offers empirical evidence that a serious game can be an effective vehicle for fear appeals.

scholarly journals Effects of brief exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harms on twitter: a randomised controlled experiment

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e045445
Author(s):  
Caroline Wright ◽  
Philippa Williams ◽  
Olga Elizarova ◽  
Jennifer Dahne ◽  
Jiang Bian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Random Order ◽  
Controlled Experiment ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Outcomes Measures ◽  
Intention To Purchase ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Online Panel ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Randomised Controlled

ObjectivesTo assess the effect of exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harms found on Twitter on adult current smokers’ intention to quit smoking cigarettes, intention to purchase e-cigarettes and perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes compared with regular cigarettes.SettingAn online randomised controlled experiment conducted in November 2019 among USA and UK current smokers.Participants2400 adult current smokers aged ≥18 years who were not current e-cigarette users recruited from an online panel. Participants’ were randomised in a 1:1:1:1 ratio using a least-fill randomiser function.InterventionsViewing 4 tweets in random order within one of four conditions: (1) e-cigarettes are just as or more harmful than smoking, (2) e-cigarettes are completely harmless, (3) e-cigarette harms are uncertain, and (4) a control condition of tweets about physical activity.Primary outcomes measuresSelf-reported post-test intention to quit smoking cigarettes, intention to purchase e-cigarettes, and perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes compared with smoking.ResultsAmong US and UK participants, after controlling for baseline measures of the outcome, exposure to tweets that e-cigarettes are as or more harmful than smoking versus control was associated with lower post-test intention to purchase e-cigarettes (β=−0.339, 95% CI −0.487 to –0.191, p<0.001) and increased post-test perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes (β=0.341, 95% CI 0.273 to 0.410, p<0.001). Among US smokers, exposure to tweets that e-cigarettes are completely harmless was associated with higher post-test intention to purchase e-cigarettes (β=0.229, 95% CI 0.002 to 0.456, p=0.048) and lower post-test perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes (β=−0.154, 95% CI −0.258 to –0.050, p=0.004).ConclusionsUS and UK adult current smokers may be deterred from considering using e-cigarettes after brief exposure to tweets that e-cigarettes were just as or more harmful than smoking. Conversely, US adult current smokers may be encouraged to use e-cigarettes after exposure to tweets that e-cigarettes are completely harmless. These findings suggest that misinformation about e-cigarette harms may influence some adult smokers’ decisions to consider using e-cigarettes.Trial registration numberISRCTN16082420.

Smokers’ Attitude and Intention to Quit after Seeing a Movie with Smoking

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 327-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reiner Hanewinkel ◽  
James D. Sargent ◽  
Barbara Isensee ◽  
Matthis Morgenstern
Keyword(s):  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Exit Interviews ◽  
Adolescent Smokers ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Intentions To Quit ◽  
Young Smokers

Aims: To assess the association between seeing smoking in a movie and adolescent and adult smokers’ attitude towards smoking and intention to quit. Methods: A natural experiment was conducted in a multiplex cinema. We conducted exit interviews with 4,073 movie patrons, of whom 645 (16 %) were smokers. Eleven per cent (n = 69) of the smokers were aged 14 to 17 years old. Subjects had exited 26 movies, of which 12 (46 %) contained smoking. We used multilevel mixed-effects linear regression to assess the effects of (a) exposure to movie smoking (yes vs. no), and (b) age (adolescent vs. adult smokers) on general attitude towards smoking and intention to quit smoking within the next 6 months (both scales ranged 0 – 10). Results: Smokers who saw a movie with smoking had more favourable attitudes towards smoking than those seeing a movie without smoking (p = 0.004). A significant interaction between age group and movie smoking indicated that this difference was more pronounced in adolescent smokers (p = 0.035). No significant differences were found for intentions to quit smoking. Conclusions: Study results suggest that smoking in the movies may influence young smokers to have a more favorable attitude towards smoking.

scholarly journals Differential Associations Between Anti-Tobacco Industry Attitudes and Intention to Quit Smoking Across Young Adult Peer Crowds

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 876-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhung Nguyen ◽  
Nadra E. Lisha ◽  
Torsten B. Neilands ◽  
Jeffrey W. Jordan ◽  
Pamela M. Ling
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Peer Crowds ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: To compare the relationship between anti-tobacco industry attitudes and intention and attempts to quit smoking across 6 young adult peer crowds. Design: A cross-sectional bar survey in 2015. Setting: Seven US cities (Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Nashville, Oklahoma City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Tucson). Participants: Two thousand eight hundred seventeen young adult bar patrons who were currently smoking. Measures: Intention to quit in the next 6 months and having made a quit attempt in the last 12 months were binary outcomes. Anti-industry attitudes were measured by 3 items indicating support for action against the tobacco industry. Peer crowd affiliation was measured using the I-Base Survey. Analysis: Adjusted multivariable logistic regression models examined the association between anti-industry attitudes and the outcomes for the total sample and for each peer crowd. Results: Overall, anti-industry attitudes were positively associated with both intention to quit (odds ratio [OR] = 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.24-1.52) and attempt to quit (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.03-1.27). Intriguingly, the relationship between anti-industry attitudes and intention to quit differed by peer crowd affiliation, with significant associations for Homebody, Partier, Hipster, and Hip Hop, but not for Young Professional and Country. Conclusions: Developing health communication messages that resonate with unique peer crowd values can enhance the relevance of public health campaigns. Tobacco control practitioners should tailor anti-industry messages to promote intention to quit smoking among the highest risk young adults.

scholarly journals Using Serious Games for Antismoking Health Campaigns: Experimental Study

10.2196/18528 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. e18528
Author(s):  
Jihyun Kim ◽  
Hayeon Song ◽  
Kelly Merrill Jr ◽  
Younbo Jung ◽  
Remi Junghuem Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Serious Games ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
The United States ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Fear Appeal ◽  
Health Campaign ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Significant Difference

Background Serious games for health have been gaining in popularity among scholars and practitioners. However, there remain a few questions to be addressed. Objective This study tests the effects of a serious game and fear appeals on smoking-related outcomes. More specifically, this research aims to understand how serious games function as a more effective vehicle for a health campaign than a traditional medium, such as a print-based pamphlet. Further, while serious games utilize a variety of persuasive strategies in the game’s content, it is not clear whether fear appeals, which are widely used persuasive-message strategies for health, can be an effective strategy in serious games. Thus, we are testing the effect of fear appeals in a serious game. Methods We created a computer game and a print brochure to educate participants about the risks of smoking. More specifically, a flash-based single-player game was developed in which players were asked to avoid cigarettes in the gameplay context. We also developed an online brochure based on existing smoking-related brochures at a university health center; antismoking messages on the computer game and in the brochure were comparable. Then, an experiment using a 2 (media type: game vs. print) x 2 (fearful image: fear vs. no-fear) between-subjects design was conducted. The study recruitment was announced to undergraduate students enrolled in a large, public Midwestern university in the United States. After a screening test, a total of 72 smokers, who reported smoking in the past 30 days, participated in the experiment. Results Overall, gameplay, when compared to print-based pamphlets, had greater impacts on attitudes toward smoking and the intention to quit smoking. Further, the game’s persuasive effects were especially pronounced when messages contained fear appeals. When fearful images were presented, participants in the game condition reported significantly more negative attitudes toward social smoking than those in the print condition [F(1,67)=7.28; P=.009; ηp2=0.10]. However, in the no-fear condition, there was no significant difference between the conditions [F(1,67)=0.25; P=.620]. Similarly, the intention to quit smoking [F(1,67)=4.64; P=.035; ηp2=0.07] and susceptibility [F(1,67)=6.92; P=.011; ηp2=0.09] were also significantly different between the conditions, but only when fear appeals were used. Conclusions This study extends fear appeal research by investigating the effects of different media types. It offers empirical evidence that a serious game can be an effective vehicle for fear appeals.

scholarly journals Social norms for e-cigarettes and smoking: associations with initiation of e-cigarette use, intentions to quit smoking and quit attempts: findings from the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii46-iii54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Máirtín S McDermott ◽  
Katherine A East ◽  
Sara C Hitchman ◽  
Ann McNeill ◽  
Yannis Tountas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Complex Samples ◽  
Quit Attempt ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Intentions To Quit ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Abstract Background Social norms have received little attention in relation to electronic cigarettes (EC). The current study examine social norms for EC use and smoking tobacco, and their associations with (i) initiation of EC use, (ii) intention to quit smoking and (iii) attempts to quit smoking. Methods Cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis from Waves 1 and 2 of the ITC 6 European Country Survey and corresponding waves from England (the ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey). Current smokers at baseline, who heard of ECs and provided data at both waves were included (n = 3702). Complex samples logistic regression examined associations between the outcomes and descriptive (seeing EC use in public, close friends using ECs/smoking) and injunctive (public approves of ECs/smoking) norms, adjusting for country, demographics, EC use and heaviness of smoking. Results In longitudinal analyses, seeing EC use in public at least some days was the only social norm that predicted initiation of EC use between waves (OR = 1.66, 95%CI = 1.08–2.56). In the cross-sectional analysis, having an intention to quit was associated with seeing EC use in public (OR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.04–1.81) and reporting fewer than three close friends smoke (OR = 0.59, 95%CI = 0.44–0.80). There was no association between any social norm and making a quit attempt between waves. Conclusions Initiation of EC use is predicted by seeing EC use in public, which was also associated with greater intention to quit smoking. Friends’ smoking was associated with lower intention to quit. These findings may allay concerns that increased visibility of ECs is renormalizing smoking amongst current smokers.

Smokers’ (Dis)satisfaction, Persuasive Constraint, and Influence of Expert and Non-Expert Sources

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan M. Falomir-Pichastor ◽  
Gabriel Mugny ◽  
Federica Invernizzi
Keyword(s):  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Motivation To Change ◽  
Internal Motivation ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
External Constraint ◽  
Source Study ◽  
Expert Sources

The present research tested the hypothesis that an internal motivation to change is elaborated as an external constraint and is less predictive of change when the source is expert than when it is non-expert. In two studies, smokers were categorized as either dissatisfied or moderately satisfied according to their degree of dissatisfaction with their image as smokers (i.e., internal motivation to change). They were then exposed to an antismoking argument attributed either to an expert or to a non-expert source. Compared to moderately satisfied smokers, dissatisfied smokers perceived the source as making less effort to convince them (Study 1, N = 43), and as being less disrespectful (Study 2, N = 81), but this pattern was significant only for the non-expert source. Study 2 also showed that experts had more influence on intention to quit smoking among moderately satisfied smokers, whereas non-experts had more influence among dissatisfied smokers.

scholarly journals Respiratory and Bronchitic Symptoms Predict Intention to Quit Smoking among Current Smokers with, and at Risk for, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1490-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne C. Melzer ◽  
Laura C. Feemster ◽  
Kristina Crothers ◽  
Shannon S. Carson ◽  
Suzanne E. Gillespie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Quit Smoking

scholarly journals Psychological morbidity as a moderator of intention to quit smoking: a study of smokers and former smokers

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fernanda Besteiro Afonso ◽  
Maria Graca Pereira Alves
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Psychological Morbidity ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Cognitive Representations ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Former Smokers ◽  
Emotional Representations ◽  
The Relationship

OBJECTIVE: To analyze psychological morbidity as a moderator of the relationship between smoking representations and quality of life in smokers and former smokers, as well as to determine which psychological variables discriminate between smokers with and without the intention to quit smoking. METHODS: This was a quantitative, correlational cross-sectional study involving a convenience sample of 224 smokers and 169 former smokers. RESULTS: In smokers and former smokers, psychological morbidity had a moderating effect on the relationship between mental/physical quality of life and smoking representations (cognitive representations, emotional representations, and comprehensibility). Smokers with the intention to quit smoking more often presented with low comprehensibility, threatening emotional representations, behavioral beliefs, and perceived behavioral control, as well as with normative/control beliefs, than did those without the intention to quit. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study underscore the importance of the moderating effect exerted by psychological morbidity, as well as that of sociocognitive variables, among smokers who have the intention to quit smoking.

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