Communicating Risk Differences Between Electronic and Combusted Cigarettes: the Role of the FDA-mand
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Yang
B, Popova L
Communicating Risk
Differences Between Electronic and Combusted Cigarettes: the Role of the
FDA-mandated Addiction Warning and a Nicotine Fact Sheet.
Tobacco Control 2020;29:663-671.
Introduction
The US Food and Drug Administration requires e-cigarettes to carry a nicotine
addiction warning. This research compared the effects of messages communicating
comparative risk of electronic and combusted cigarettes (CR messages) with and
without the mandated warning and tested the effects of showing a nicotine fact
sheet (NFS) before exposure to CR messages with warning.
Method In
an online experiment, 1528 US adult smokers were randomised to one of four
conditions: (1) three CR messages, (2) three CR messages in condition one with
an addiction warning, (3) an NFS followed by the three messages in condition 2
and (4) control messages. Outcomes included message reactions and perceived
effectiveness, e-cigarette-related and cigarette-related beliefs and behavioural
intentions and nicotine-related beliefs.
Results
CR messages with and without an addiction warning did not differ. The NFS
condition produced higher odds of correctly understanding the risk of nicotine
and stronger beliefs that switching to e-cigarettes could reduce health risks
(response efficacy) than other treatments. Compared with control, all messages
made it more likely for people to report e-cigarettes are less harmful than
cigarettes and increased response efficacy and switch intentions to e-cigarettes.
Only NFS condition increased correct beliefs about the risk of nicotine and
self-efficacy about switching to e-cigarettes.
Conclusion
Including an addiction warning on CR messages did not reduce intentions to
switch to e-cigarettes. Communicating accurate risk of nicotine together with
CR messages and addiction warning increased smokers’ self-efficacy beliefs
about switching completely to e-cigarettes, making it a potentially promising
antitobacco communication strategy.
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