Abstract

CRESPO, Antonio; BARRIO, Ana; CABESTRERO, Raúl  and  HERNANDEZ, Óscar. Cognitive processing and assessment of anti-smoking combined warning labels set by the European Commission: An empirical study with a Spanish sample. Clínica y Salud [online]. 2007, vol.18, n.2, pp.163-180. ISSN 2174-0550.

Smoking is a major public health problem in the European Union. The presentation of health warnings on tobacco packages is a common strategy to alert consumers about the adverse effects of smoking. The main aim of this study was to assess the level of emotional activation and the potential usefulness of the new combined warning labels (both text and photo) suggested by the European Commission to be inserted on tobacco packs. By means of a Likerttype scale, 106 participants assessed the emotional activation that each image caused on them, as well as their usefulness for an anti-smoking campaign. Results showed that the combined warnings could be arranged according to the emotional activation level and their usefulness. Further analyses showed that the scores given to some warnings were highly influenced by the presence/ absence of the corresponding text message, the smoking habit (smokers vs. non-smokers), and the participant gender. Finally, a positive relationship was found between emotional activation and usefulness. By and large, our research offers some significant implications for the development of smoking control policies.

Keywords : Tobacco warning label; Smoking control; Cognitive processing; Emotional activation.

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