A study conducted by public health researchers in San Diego found that graphic labeling found on cigarette packages proved effective in countering smoking.
SAN DIEGO — Graphic warning labels attached to cigarette packaging have proved effective, reports a brand new academic study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and other institutions across the area and the state of California.
The paper, published by the JAMA Network Open, on Aug. 4, 2021, found that graphic warning labels were effective reminders of the negative health consequences of smoking.
David Strong, a professor, was the lead researcher in the study. Other researchers are affiliated with the Moores Cancer Center, California State University, San Marcos, San Diego County Public Health Services, and San Diego State University.
“Graphic warning labels are used in more than 120 countries to counter marketing that promotes cigarette smoking. We wanted to know what effect such cigarette packaging would have on United States smokers,” said Strong in a press release.
The United States Congress mandated graphic warning labels on cigarette packages by the Tobacco Control Act of 2009. However, due to litigation and regulation, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to implement such policies. Despite that fact, the FDA will soon implement these requirements, barring litigation from the private industry.
“Graphic warning labels caused daily smokers in the United States to perceive cigarettes to be less positive and it increased their concerns about the health effects of smoking on both themselves and their loved ones,” said John P. Pierce, the corresponding author for the study, and the distinguished professor at Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.
Countries like Australia and across the European Union, and elsewhere, all have graphic warning labels printed on cigarette packages.
The research was funded by the federal National Cancer Institute.
