Repeated exposure to smoking warning labels : the effect on smoking related cognitions

Cigarette smoking remains one of the most significant preventable causes of mortality and disease in Australia. The most prominent and most visible approach to stop the uptake of smoking and reduce smoking rates are warning labels on cigarette packs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of anti-smoking warning labels on smoking related cognitions derived from the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM), in particular fear, severity, susceptibility, self-efficacy and intentions. A total of 62 participants (25 smokers and 37 never-smokers) aged between 19 years and 70 years (M = 34.03, SD = 13.87) were recruited for this study. Participants were required to monitor their intake of cigarettes in real time, and to report when they were exposed to smoking warning labels, through entering information into an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) device. The present study has provided support for the effective use of EMA devices to determine the effects of encountering smoking warning labels on smoking cognitions, with exposure to smoking warning labels indicating an increase on a smoker’s self-efficacy in belief around ability to not smoke cigarettes. It is suggested that a focus within future anti-smoking campaigns, should incorporate more meaningful messages around an individual’s self-efficacy, as this may further assist in smokers achieving smoking cessation