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New on-pack warning labels are needed on tobacco packaging to motivate and support smoking cessation, a study from University of Otago researchers has found. The researchers asked 27 people who used roll-your-own tobacco and came from Dunedin and Wellington how they responded to the large graphic warnings on tobacco packs. Their findings are published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research .

Research co-leader Professor Janet Hoek, who co-directs the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Center at the University of Otago, Wellington, says the graphic pack warnings have been highly effective in telling people about the health risks of smoking , but a refresh is needed. "Study participants thought the warnings had lost impact, but also admitted they actively avoided looking at them and many rationalized the harms smoking posed and had developed arguments as to why they were not likely to be personally harmed by smoking." Lani Teddy, a Research Fellow with the ASPIRE Aotearoa Center said, "We know from other research that avoidance and counter-argument often indicate greater engagement with warnings; however, our findings suggest we could engage people who smoke more effectively.



The warnings have not been refreshed since their introduction in 2018 and it is timely to think about new approaches. "For example, many on-pack warnings feature diseased organs that participants found difficult to recognize. They felt messages that recognized them as whole people would create greater empathy and do more to.

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