Clear The Air News Tobacco Blog Rotating Header Image

Health Warning

Graphic health warning enlargement counterproductive to fight against illicit tobacco trade

Jan 11th, 2017
by Editor.
No comments yet

http://harbourtimes.com/2017/01/11/graphic-health-warning-enlargement-counterproductive-to-fight-against-illicit-tobacco-trade/

A Hong Kong-based advocacy group has urged the government to step up enforcement against illicit tobacco trade while warning against measures that may jeopardise the positive trend.

Pollster Ipsos Hong Kong released in January a survey report on public perception of the black market cigarette trade. Commissioned by the Hong Kong United Against Illicit Trade (HKUAIT), the report interviewed about a thousand Hong Kong adult citizens in December 2016. Results show that 84% of the respondents take illicit cigarettes as a serious issue in Hong Kong.

Ipsos Director Mick Gordon highlighted that approximately three out of four respondents attribute the problem to sophisticated criminal networks, insufficient penalties and drastic excessive tax increases on cigarettes.

According to the latest Asia Illicit Tobacco Indicator 2015 report by Oxford Economics, Hong Kong’s illicit incidence has fallen by 6.7% since 2012 but remains at a relatively high level at 29.1%, amounting an estimated HK$2.9 billion tax loss in fiscal year 2015/16.

Don’t ruin it

While acknowledging Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department’s effort in combating illicit tobacco trade, HKUAIT advisor Jeff Herbert warned that the tax loss could in turn, fund criminal organisations and generate even greater indirect losses in terms of extra enforcement actions and prosecutions. Mr Herbert called for increased penalties, greater enforcement, public education and sensible tax rises amid negative factors such as ever rising costs of living and proximity to the mainland counterfeit market where about 60% of these cigarettes were transported from through land routes.

Meanwhile, Patrick Wong, Executive Director of HKUAIT, expressed concerns over a recent legislative proposal by the government to enlarge the size of health warnings on tobacco products from 50% to 85%, arguing that such a move would further reduce available space for tobacco manufacturers to print security and authentication features, resulting in a less secure supply chain which could facilitate illicit trade.

The LegCo Panel on Health Services will hold a special meeting to discuss the government’s proposal on 17 January, 2017.

“We’ve got to be very wary of doing anything that can aggravate trade and also the high risk of reversing what we have seen as a downward trend. The 85% graphic health warning which some people are advocating would only further cause market to deteriorate as it would be much easier to counterfeit the outside packaging,” Mr Herbert echoed.

Graphic Pack Warnings in Hong Kong

Jan 10th, 2017
by Editor.
No comments yet

Download (PDF, 6.27MB)

The effect of pack warning labels on quitting

Jan 9th, 2017
by Editor.
No comments yet

The effect of pack warning labels on quitting and related thoughts and behaviours in a national cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers

Anna Nicholson, GDipPH, BPhty(Hons) PhD Ron Borland, PhD Pele Bennet, BHSc Maureen Davey, MB BS FAFPHM Jasmine Sarin, BHSci(Indig Hlth) Anke Van der Sterren, MPH MA BA Matthew Stevens, PhD David Thomas, MB BS PhD FAFPHM

https://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ntr/ntw396/2871245/The-effect-of-pack-warning-labels-on-quitting-and

Abstract

Introduction:

The high prevalence of smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia (39%) contributes substantially to health inequalities. This study assesses the impact of warning labels on quitting and related thoughts and behaviours for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers.

Methods:

Participants were recruited from communities served by 34 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and communities in the Torres Strait, Australia, using quota sampling. A cohort of 642 daily/weekly smokers completed relevant questions at baseline (April 2012-October 2013) and follow up (August 2013-August 2014).

Results:

We considered three baseline predictor variables: noticing warning labels, forgoing cigarettes due to warning labels (‘forgoing’) and perceiving labels to be effective.

Forgoing increased significantly between surveys only for those first surveyed prior to the introduction of plain packs (19% vs. 34%), however there were no significant interactions between forgoing cigarettes and the introduction of new and enlarged graphic warning labels on plain packaging in any model. Forgoing cigarettes predicted attempting to quit (AOR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.02-2.06) and, among those who did not want to quit at baseline, wanting to quit at follow-up (AOR: 3.19, 95% CI: 1.06-9.63).

Among those less worried about future health effects, all three variables predicted being very worried at follow-up. Often noticing warning labels predicted correct responses to questions about health effects that had featured on warning labels (AOR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.20-2.82) but not for those not featured.

Conclusions:

Graphic warning labels appear to have a positive impact on the understanding, concerns and motivations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers and, through these, their quit attempts.

IMPLICATIONS

Graphic warning labels are likely to be effective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers as they are for the broader Australian population.

Children design cigarette packets as part of latest stop smoking campaign

Dec 30th, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet
capture

Children front latest stop smoking campaign Credit: Public Health England

Primary school children have created their own “plain packaging” for cigarette packs ahead of the official roll-out of standardised packets in 2017.

The youngsters devised their own front-of-pack messages encouraging England’s seven million smokers to quit.

One child’s artwork says: “Don’t be a smoker – be a stopper.”

The children are featured in Public Health England’s (PHE) new campaign to highlight the damaging effect smoking has on the heart.

PHE said that every day 45 people die of cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks or strokes caused by smoking – more than 16,500 a year in England.

In the North East 18.7 per cent of people are smokers Standardised packaging will be mandatory from May 2017.

Cigarettes will be sold in packs which feature a graphic picture and text health warnings.

Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh, said: “If you smoke, quitting not only means an instant pay rise but also reduces your chances of a serious disease within days of stopping.

Children worry about their parents and grandparents smoking and quitting is likely to make your family very proud.

“This year there is another reason to quit at New Year, as more and more packs of cigarettes will be in plain standardised packaging with larger health warnings. Every cigarette is a stark reminder of the damage smoking causes.”

Dr John Bourke, Consultant Cardiologist at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust and Cardiac Lead for the NorthernEngland Cardiovascular Network, added:

“Cigarette smoking is the single most important and avoidable risk factor for death at a young age in both men and women in the UK.

“Smoking speed up the ageing process in blood vessels throughout the body – causing heart attacks,leg amputations and strokes. In short, cigarette smoking accelerates the ageing process making your body older at every age than you actually should be.”

Cigarette smoking is the single most important and avoidable risk factor for death at a young age in both men and women in the UK.

Smokers looking to quit are being encouraged to search ‘Smokefree’ online or contact their local Stop Smoking Service.

Public Health England enlists children in campaign to emphasise smoking heart risk

Dec 30th, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet

A campaign launched today by Public Health England centres around NHS doctor and kids TV star Dr Ranj Singh working with children to encourage adults to stop
smoking.

Smokefree Health Harms launches today through a PR push across various media, and Facebook content.

The Facebook video content features Dr Singh working with primary school children to create images about the damage that smoking does to the heart and arteries.

These images are in the form of cigarette packets (below). Smokefree Health Harms launches as new rules come into force at the start of 2017 meaning that all cigarettes sold in the UK will be in unbranded standard packs that feature graphic image health warnings.

Dr Singh said: “We know that many people quit smoking for their family, and this film shows just how passionately children want to protect the health of smokers and want to help them quit.”

PHE’s campaign focuses on the fact that smoking increases the risk of heart disease by 24%, and doubles the risk of a heart attack or stroke, as well as highlighting that 45 people a day die of cardiovascular disease.

The campaign will direct people to support including an app, email, text and help in person from local stop smoking services.

As with other recent PHE campaigns, such as the One You diabetes and healthy living campaign launched on Monday. Creative agencies involved are M&C Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather and 23red, with MEC handling media and Freud Communications for PR.

Visceral ads showing the impact of smoking on the body will continue to be shown in areas where there are higher rates of smoking.

Cigarette Graphic Warning Labels Are Not Created Equal

Dec 28th, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet

Cigarette Graphic Warning Labels Are Not Created Equal: They Can Increase or Decrease Smokers’ Quit Intentions Relative to Text-only Warnings

Abigail T. Evans, Ph.D. Ellen Peters, Ph.D. Abigail Shoben, Ph.D. Louise Meilleur, MS Elizabeth G. Klein, Ph.D. Mary Kate Tompkins, MS Daniel Romer, Ph.D. Martin Tusler, MS

https://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ntr/ntw389/2752236/Cigarette-Graphic-Warning-Labels-Are-Not-Created

Abstract

Introduction:

Cigarette graphic-warning labels elicit negative emotion. Research suggests negative emotion drives greater risk perceptions and quit intentions through multiple processes. The present research compares text-only warning effectiveness to that of graphic warnings eliciting more or less negative emotion.

Methods:

Nationally representative online panels of 736 adult smokers and 469 teen smokers/vulnerable smokers were randomly assigned to view one of three warning types (text-only, text with low-emotion images, or text with high-emotion images) four times over two weeks. Participants recorded their emotional reaction to the warnings (measured as arousal), smoking risk perceptions, and quit intentions. Primary analyses used structural equation modeling.

Results:

Participants in the high-emotion condition reported greater emotional reaction than text-only participants (bAdult = .21; bTeen = .27, p’s<.004); those in the low-emotion condition reported lower emotional reaction than text-only participants (bAdult = -.18; bTeen = -.22, p’s<.018). Stronger emotional reaction was associated with increased risk perceptions in both samples (bAdult =.66; bTeen = .85, p’s<.001) and greater quit intentions among adults (bAdult = 1.00, p<.001). Compared to text-only warnings, low-emotion warnings were associated with reduced risk perceptions and quit intentions whereas high-emotion warnings were associated with increased risk perceptions and quit intentions.

Conclusion:

Warning labels with images that elicit more negative emotional reaction are associated with increased risk perceptions and quit intentions in adults and teens relative to text-only warnings. However, graphic warnings containing images which evoke little emotional reaction can backfire and reduce risk perceptions and quit intentions vs. text-only warnings.

IMPLICATIONS

This research is the first to directly manipulate two emotion levels in sets of nine cigarette graphic warning images and compare them with text-only warnings. Among adult and teen smokers, high-emotion graphic warnings were associated with increased risk perceptions and quit intentions vs. text-only warnings. Low-emotion graphic warnings backfired and tended to reduce risk perceptions and quit intentions vs. text-only warnings. Policy makers should be aware that merely placing images on cigarette packaging is insufficient to increase smokers’ risk perceptions and quit intentions. Low-emotion graphic warnings will not necessarily produce desired population-level benefits relative to text-only or high-emotion warnings.

Hong Kong to press ahead with cigarette packaging reform

Dec 24th, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet

Plan includes increasing warning size and number of graphic images

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2057078/hong-kong-press-ahead-cigarette-packaging-reform

Hong Kong will press ahead with cigarette packaging reform to increase warnings that “smoking kills”, despite opposition from the tobacco industry, a leading health official said on Saturday.

Cigarette packaging has remained the same since 2007 and it was time for the government to overhaul packaging, Undersecretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said.

“We feel that at this point in time it is important for us to increase the warning size and also the number of designs from six to 12,” Chan said in a radio interview.

The size of warnings on cigarette packs would increase to cover 85 per cent of the pack, from the current 50 per cent, and the number of graphic designs would double from six to 12.

Chan said Hong Kong’s measures to deter smokers were much fairer to the industry and the public than in some other countries, which had legislated unbranded plain packaging or given increased prominence to shocking pictures.

“We think [our proposal] is a balancing act, to increase the warning size to 85 per cent and increase the number of designs” she said. “We haven’t gone to plain packaging yet. We felt that this is something we can do to protect people from smoking.”

Department of Health data from 2012 showed the number of Hong Kong residents who smoke had dropped to a low of 10.2 per cent of the population.

Acting SFH on tobacco control

Dec 24th, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet

Hong Kong (HKSAR) – Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Acting Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, after attending a radio programme today (December 24):

http://7thspace.com/headlines/532802/acting_sfh_on_tobacco_control.html

Reporter: The tobacco industry is not very happy with the Government’s proposal to make warning signs bigger on cigarette packages. Would the Government consider budging on its proposal? And also, under what circumstances will the Government consider imposing further measures to try to bring down the number of smokers in Hong Kong?

Acting Secretary for Food and Health: First of all, we have discussed this issue of increasing the size of the pictorial warning on cigarette packets since May 2015. There were deputations in the Legislative Council in July 2015 in which over 100 organisations attended. Most of them supported the Government’s initiative of increasing the packet warning size. The World Health Organization has suggested the larger the size of the pictorial warning on cigarette packets, the better or the more effective it is to decrease the number of people smoking. Therefore, from the statistics and evidence from different countries, we know that this is an effective tobacco control measure. So on the one hand, our packet (warning) size is now 50% and we have six different designs of pictorial warning. It hasn’t been changed since 2007, so it is almost ten years now. Therefore, we feel that at this point in time it is important for us to increase the packet warning size and also the number of designs from six to 12. The other issue is that there are also, obviously, countries that have gone even one step further, that is to go to plain packaging, i.e. 100% of the cigarette packet is already standardised and also (carries) a very big size of pictorial warning. Therefore, we think (our proposal) is already a balancing act, i.e. to increase the warning size to 85% and increase the number of designs. We haven’t gone to plain packaging yet. We felt that this is something that we can protect people from smoking. And also, it is shown that it is effective according to the evidence we collected from other countries.

Reporter: How about further measures?

Acting Secretary for Food and Health: For further measures, we always take a progressive and multi-pronged approach. We have just defined non-smoking area in the bus exchanges outside the eight tunnel portals in Hong Kong. Obviously there are other suggestions as to whether we would ban smoking at all bus stops or even on the streets. We will consider all these comments or suggestions, looking into the current tobacco control measures in Hong Kong, our smoking prevalence, our targets and also the related legislation.

Cigarette packs to carry graphic health warnings

Dec 22nd, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet

Starting Friday, graphic warnings about the harmful effects of smoking will be attached to cigarette packs sold in South Korea.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161222000679

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, all cigarette packs sold here, including those sold at duty-free shops, must carry one of 10 designated full-color and disturbing photos with warnings on the adverse effects of smoking.

Some of the photos depict the body parts of smokers suffering from fatal diseases such as lung cancer, oral cancer, heart attack and strokes. Text warnings include those about the dangers of secondhand smoke, smoking while pregnant, as well as possible side effects such as sexual dysfunction, skin aging and premature death.

The graphic health warnings must be placed on the upper part of both sides of cigarette packets. The photos are required to cover more than 30 percent of both sides of each packet, the ministry said.

The ministry also plans to resume anti-smoking TV ads, introducing real cases of victims of smoking. It had stopped doing so 14 years ago.

It will take one month before the cigarette packs with the warnings will appear in the market due to production and distribution procedures. However, some of the cigarette packs with graphic warnings will be released at retail stores starting Friday for promotion purposes near crowded downtown areas such as Gwanghwanmun, Yeouido and Gangnam, the ministry added.

Anti-smoking campaigns that use such visual images were first introduced in Canada in 2001. Such practices are currently adopted by 101 countries around the world.

“After reviewing figures from 18 countries which adopted the graphic health warning labels, it was found that the smoking rate fell by 13.8 percent in Brazil, while the average for these countries was around 4 percent, after these labels were attached,” said the ministry official.

In June, the National Assembly approved a bill that makes it obligatory for tobacco-makers to display graphic warnings on cigarette packs to promote people’s health.

Under the law, the graphics will be replaced every 24 months and a notice about the next 10 photos will be announced six months ahead of the replacement. Violators of the law will face up to a year in jail or up to 10 million won ($12,000) in fines, or revocation of the company’s business license.

The smoking rate among South Koreans, aged 19 or older, dropped to 39.3 percent last year from 43.1 percent in 2014. It marked the first time that South Korea’s smoking rate fell below 40 percent.

The decrease came after sharp hikes in tobacco prices here. The government raised tobacco prices by 2,000 won per pack in January as part of an anti-smoking campaign.

The ministry announced last year that it aims to lower the smoking rate among South Korean men to 29 percent by 2020.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)

Cigarette packs to carry graphic health warnings

Dec 22nd, 2016
by Editor.
No comments yet

Starting Friday, graphic warnings about the harmful effects of smoking will be attached to cigarette packs sold in South Korea.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161222000679

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, all cigarette packs sold here, including those sold at duty-free shops, must carry one of 10 designated full-color and disturbing photos with warnings on the adverse effects of smoking.

Some of the photos depict the body parts of smokers suffering from fatal diseases such as lung cancer, oral cancer, heart attack and strokes. Text warnings include those about the dangers of secondhand smoke, smoking while pregnant, as well as possible side effects such as sexual dysfunction, skin aging and premature death.

The graphic health warnings must be placed on the upper part of both sides of cigarette packets. The photos are required to cover more than 30 percent of both sides of each packet, the ministry said.

The ministry also plans to resume anti-smoking TV ads, introducing real cases of victims of smoking. It had stopped doing so 14 years ago.

It will take one month before the cigarette packs with the warnings will appear in the market due to production and distribution procedures. However, some of the cigarette packs with graphic warnings will be released at retail stores starting Friday for promotion purposes near crowded downtown areas such as Gwanghwanmun, Yeouido and Gangnam, the ministry added.

Anti-smoking campaigns that use such visual images were first introduced in Canada in 2001. Such practices are currently adopted by 101 countries around the world.

“After reviewing figures from 18 countries which adopted the graphic health warning labels, it was found that the smoking rate fell by 13.8 percent in Brazil, while the average for these countries was around 4 percent, after these labels were attached,” said the ministry official.

In June, the National Assembly approved a bill that makes it obligatory for tobacco-makers to display graphic warnings on cigarette packs to promote people’s health.

Under the law, the graphics will be replaced every 24 months and a notice about the next 10 photos will be announced six months ahead of the replacement. Violators of the law will face up to a year in jail or up to 10 million won ($12,000) in fines, or revocation of the company’s business license.

The smoking rate among South Koreans, aged 19 or older, dropped to 39.3 percent last year from 43.1 percent in 2014. It marked the first time that South Korea’s smoking rate fell below 40 percent.

The decrease came after sharp hikes in tobacco prices here. The government raised tobacco prices by 2,000 won (USD 1.67) per pack in January as part of an anti-smoking campaign.

The ministry announced last year that it aims to lower the smoking rate among South Korean men to 29 percent by 2020.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)

← Earlier Posts Newer Posts →