Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study
Objective Although cigars pose similar health risks to cigarettes, they are not uniformly required to carry a warning label on their packaging in the USA. The US Food and Drug Administration’s 2016 deeming rule established a cigar warning requirement, but it was challenged in federal court for faili...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-06-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/6/e061064.full |
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| author | Michelle Jeong Olivia A Wackowski Stefanie K Gratale Andrew A Strasser Cristine D Delnevo Zeinab Safi Anupreet Sidhu |
| author_facet | Michelle Jeong Olivia A Wackowski Stefanie K Gratale Andrew A Strasser Cristine D Delnevo Zeinab Safi Anupreet Sidhu |
| author_sort | Michelle Jeong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective Although cigars pose similar health risks to cigarettes, they are not uniformly required to carry a warning label on their packaging in the USA. The US Food and Drug Administration’s 2016 deeming rule established a cigar warning requirement, but it was challenged in federal court for failing to document warning effects on prevention/cessation, thus necessitating an evidentiary base for such requirements. We sought to explore young adult users’ understanding of cigarillo risks and addictiveness, as well as their perceptions of current (voluntary) and proposed cigar warning labels.Design In December 2020–January 2021, we conducted eight focus groups with young adult cigarillo smokers. We asked participants their first associations of cigarillos and beliefs about product harms/addictiveness, and then discussed existing warning labels and examples of potential pictorial warnings.Setting Focus groups were conducted remotely via the Adobe Connect platform, with participants from 20 US states.Participants Participants included 42 young adults (ages 18–29; 50% male), who were recent cigarillo users (ie, past 30 days) or less frequent users (ie, past 12 months).Results Participants frequently used cigarillos as blunts and often conveyed uncertainty about cigarillo risks and addictiveness, in general and relative to cigarettes. Participants typically paid little attention to current text warnings, but many expressed that pictorial warnings would more effectively promote knowledge of product risks and discourage use among prospective users.Conclusions US young adult cigarillo users may lack knowledge about product risks and addictiveness. Standardised warning requirements, particularly pictorial labels, may help address this knowledge gap and deter use. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-49e36b5ac48a44d3aca8d76a9f2c246c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-49e36b5ac48a44d3aca8d76a9f2c246c2025-01-27T22:10:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-06-0112610.1136/bmjopen-2022-061064Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group studyMichelle Jeong0Olivia A Wackowski1Stefanie K Gratale2Andrew A Strasser3Cristine D Delnevo4Zeinab Safi5Anupreet Sidhu6Center for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA3 Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, New Jersey, USA1 Center for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA1 Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USACenter for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USAPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USAObjective Although cigars pose similar health risks to cigarettes, they are not uniformly required to carry a warning label on their packaging in the USA. The US Food and Drug Administration’s 2016 deeming rule established a cigar warning requirement, but it was challenged in federal court for failing to document warning effects on prevention/cessation, thus necessitating an evidentiary base for such requirements. We sought to explore young adult users’ understanding of cigarillo risks and addictiveness, as well as their perceptions of current (voluntary) and proposed cigar warning labels.Design In December 2020–January 2021, we conducted eight focus groups with young adult cigarillo smokers. We asked participants their first associations of cigarillos and beliefs about product harms/addictiveness, and then discussed existing warning labels and examples of potential pictorial warnings.Setting Focus groups were conducted remotely via the Adobe Connect platform, with participants from 20 US states.Participants Participants included 42 young adults (ages 18–29; 50% male), who were recent cigarillo users (ie, past 30 days) or less frequent users (ie, past 12 months).Results Participants frequently used cigarillos as blunts and often conveyed uncertainty about cigarillo risks and addictiveness, in general and relative to cigarettes. Participants typically paid little attention to current text warnings, but many expressed that pictorial warnings would more effectively promote knowledge of product risks and discourage use among prospective users.Conclusions US young adult cigarillo users may lack knowledge about product risks and addictiveness. Standardised warning requirements, particularly pictorial labels, may help address this knowledge gap and deter use.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/6/e061064.full |
| spellingShingle | Michelle Jeong Olivia A Wackowski Stefanie K Gratale Andrew A Strasser Cristine D Delnevo Zeinab Safi Anupreet Sidhu Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study BMJ Open |
| title | Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study |
| title_full | Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study |
| title_fullStr | Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study |
| title_short | Young adults’ cigarillo risk perceptions, attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings: a focus group study |
| title_sort | young adults cigarillo risk perceptions attention to warning labels and perceptions of proposed pictorial warnings a focus group study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/6/e061064.full |
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