Hammond David, Parkinson Carla
Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
J Public Health (Oxf). 2009 Sep;31(3):345-53. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdp066. Epub 2009 Jul 27.
More than 40 countries have laws prohibiting misleading information from tobacco packages, including the words 'light', 'mild' and 'low-tar'. Little is known about the extent to which other words and package designs prove misleading to consumers.
A mall-intercept study was conducted with adult smokers (n = 312) and non-smokers (n = 291) in Ontario, Canada. Participants viewed pairs of cigarette packages that differed along a single attribute and completed ratings of perceived taste, tar delivery and health risk.
Respondents were significantly more likely to rate packages with the terms 'light', 'mild', 'smooth' and 'silver' as having a smoother taste, delivering less tar and lower health risk compared with 'regular' and 'full flavor' brands. Respondents also rated packages with lighter colors and a picture of a filter as significantly more likely to taste smooth, deliver less tar and lower risk. Smokers were significantly more likely than non-smokers to perceive brands as having a lower health risk, while smokers of light and mild cigarettes were significantly more likely than other smokers to perceive brands as smoother and reducing risk. Perceptions of taste were significantly associated with perceptions of tar level and risk.
The findings suggest that current regulations have failed to remove misleading information from tobacco packaging.
40 多个国家制定了法律，禁止在烟草包装上出现误导性信息，包括“淡味”“柔和”和“低焦油”等字样。对于其他文字和包装设计在多大程度上会误导消费者，人们知之甚少。
在加拿大安大略省对成年吸烟者（n = 312）和非吸烟者（n = 291）进行了一项商场拦截式研究。参与者观看了在单一属性上存在差异的成对香烟包装，并完成了对感知口味、焦油含量和健康风险的评级。
与“常规”和“全味”品牌相比，受访者更有可能将带有“淡味”“柔和”“顺滑”和“银色”字样的包装评为口味更柔和、焦油含量更低且健康风险更低。受访者还将颜色较浅且带有过滤嘴图片的包装评为更有可能口味顺滑、焦油含量更低且风险更低。吸烟者比非吸烟者更有可能认为某些品牌的健康风险较低，而吸淡味和柔和型香烟的吸烟者比其他吸烟者更有可能认为这些品牌更顺滑且风险更低。口味感知与焦油含量感知和风险感知显著相关。
研究结果表明，现行法规未能消除烟草包装上的误导性信息。
