Background:

The health warnings printed on cigarette packs are a strategy to control cigarette smoking and induce changes in the behavior of the smoker with regard to habit. The objective was to evaluate the educational material of cigarette packs of anti-smoking campaigns in a group of smokers in a city in Colombia.

Methods:

Descriptive cross-sectional study; 189 smokers rated 21 images of cigarette packs used in Colombia, through an instrument of the Pan American Health Organization - PAHO. Univariate analysis of variables was performed; In the analytical phase, Pearson’s Chi Square parametric test was used; statistical significance was accepted with a value of p <0.05.

Results:

The images need reforms, which indicate that the material partially meets its objective. The 21 images are evaluated as unattractive (77,5%), accepted (9,1%), understood (14,7%) and do not induce to stop smoking (80,2%). There is a statistical association between the understanding / identification of images and the education of smokers (p=0.004); induction to the action of the images and socioeconomic level of the smokers (p=0.01); attraction of the smoker’s images and sex (p= 0.02), as well as acceptance and socioeconomic status (p=0.02).

Conclusions:

The images used in cigarette packages require reforms and adjustments to international guidelines, so that they respond as a means of transmitting public health messages, as a perception of risk and real behavioral changes in relation to cigarette consumption.

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