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09 January 2002

 

Making Sure That Smokers Get The Message

 

New Canadian study shows that pictures of diseased lungs on cigarette packets are effective in discouraging smoking. The NCAS says it's time to revise health warnings on cigarette packaging in South Africa.

 

The National Council Against Smoking today called for a major revision of the health warnings on tobacco packaging in South Africa and for the introduction of pictorial health messages. The call comes after new research from Canada found that colour pictures on cigarette packages showing the harm caused by tobacco use increased awareness of the health effects of smoking and increased the motivation among smokers to quit.

 

The Canadian Cancer Society today published a survey evaluating new world-precedent setting health warnings on cigarette packages that were introduced in Canada a year ago. The new Canadian warnings include pictures of the diseased mouth, a lung tumour, a brain after a stroke, a damaged heart and a limp cigarette as part of an impotence warning, together with tips on quitting smoking.

 

The survey found that 90% of smokers and 49 per cent of non-smokers had noticed the new warnings. Its key findings were:

  • Their new warnings had made 58 per cent of smokers think more about the health effects of smoking and increased the motivation to quit of 44 per cent.
  • 38 per cent of smokers who attempted to quit said the new warnings were a factor in motivating them to try to quit.
  • 27 per cent smoke less inside their homes as a result of the new warnings.
  • 17 per cent of smokers have put their cigarette package away on at least one occasion because they did not want others to see the warning on the package.
  • When buying cigarettes at a store, 18 per cent of smokers have on at least one occasion asked for a different package of cigarettes because they did not like the warning on the package first offered.
  • The warnings have had greater impact on those with lower levels of education.

"South Africa's current text based health warnings were introduced in 1995 and have lost much of their impact" says Peter Ucko, acting director of the NCAS. "New, explicit, pictorial warnings will help make smokers more aware of the risks they are taking. Pictures speak louder than words, and will bring home the grim truth about the dangers of tobacco to consumers, more especially to those who cannot read. Those who can read will also be affected by the gruesome reality which pictures show."

 

"The new messages have had a major impact in Canada where the government runs extensive programmes on tobacco, so the impact will be even greater in South Africa where mass media campaigns are rare. We need picture warnings as soon as possible."

 

Internationally, other countries are following the Canadian lead. Brazil will require picture-based warnings as of January 31, and under a European Community Directive, EU countries may have pictures on its packs by early next year. The World Health Organization is examining picture based warnings as a possible world wide requirement through an international treaty.

 

Note to Journalists and others requiring additional information:

The full study - evaluation of new warnings on cigarette packages - is posted on the Canadian Cancer Society's website: www.ontario.cancer.ca

Photographs of old and new health warnings and cigarette packages can be downloaded from the Canadian Cancer Society's website.