U.S. Cigarette Pack Warnings Ineffective: Study

MONDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Cigarette pack warning labels with prominent text and graphic pictures of smoking damage are most effective at changing smokers' behavior, says a study that looked at warning labels in four countries.

The study found that health warnings on cigarette packages in the United States, which were last updated in 1984, are the least effective, consisting of only small text warnings on the side of packages.

In Canada, a large portion of the cigarette package is covered by a graphic photograph of health damage caused by smoking. That meets the standard recommended by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

For this study, researchers analyzed data from surveys taken during 2002-2005 of about 15,000 adult smokers in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The smokers were asked about their awareness of the health warnings on cigarette packages, whether the warnings changed their understanding about the risks of smoking, their intention or motivation to quit, and any behavioral changes they'd noticed in themselves.

"This study suggests that more prominent health warnings are associated with greater levels of awareness and perceived effectiveness among smokers," wrote researcher David Hammond.

The study is published in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.