Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
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In the United Kingdom, with most marketing channels prohibited, packaging is one of the few remaining ways that tobacco companies can promote their products. ⋯ Packaging appears to both attract young people and mislead them about product strength and relative harm. Innovative pack construction (novel pack shape and method of opening) and the use of color are instrumental in these effects. The findings therefore suggest that any move to plain packaging should not only consider the benefits of removing branding (including color) but also of standardizing pack construction in terms of shape and method of opening.
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The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (the "Act"), enacted in June 2009, gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products. The current paper reviews the provisions for packaging and labeling, including the existing evidence and research priorities. ⋯ Packaging and labeling regulations required under the Act will bring the United States in line with international standards. There is an immediate need for research to evaluate these measures to guide future regulatory action.
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Comparative Study
Validating smoking data from the Veteran's Affairs Health Factors dataset, an electronic data source.
We assessed smoking data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic medical record (EMR) Health Factors dataset. ⋯ Based on kappa statistics, agreement between the EMR Health Factors and survey sources is substantial. Identification of current smokers nationally within the VHA can be used in future studies to track smoking status over time, to evaluate smoking interventions, and to adjust for smoking status in research. Our methodology may provide insights for other organizations seeking to use EMR data for accurate determination of smoking status.
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Although awareness of mass-media smoking cessation campaigns is hypothesized to affect quit behavior through changes in cessation-related attitudes, intentions, and motivation (cognitions), this has yet to be formally tested. ⋯ Those developing health communication mass-media campaigns need to consider how media messages might differentially impact U.S. subpopulations in order to elicit desired behavioral change across target subgroups.