• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.283-296
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of threat perception and psychological reactance to graphic health warnings on cigarette packages on intention to quit smoking among smoking adolescents. Methods: The participants were 185 smoking adolescents attending two industrial specialized high schools, who had witnessed graphic health warnings on cigarette packages within the previous 30 days. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis using SPSS/WIN Ver. 25.0. Results: The results showed that participant threat perception (𝛽=.14, p=.037) after witnessing a cigarette warning message had a positive influence on intention to quit smoking. On the other hand, psychological reactance (𝛽=-.23, p=.001) showed a negative influence on intention to quit smoking. Conclusion: When designing and developing a message for smoking adolescents, customized messages are required to reflect teenagers' characteristics and raise threat perception and lower psychological reactance. In addition, we propose a future study be conducted to determine the influences of various psychological determinants, including self-efficacy and skills, on threat perception and psychological reactance to graphic health warnings on cigarette packages among smoking adolescents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2016

Printing of pictorial health warnings (PHWs) on cigarette packages became obligatory by the Vietnam Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harm in May 2013. Literature from high-income countries suggests that PHWs motivate smokers to quit smoking although their long-term effects have been questioned due to reduction of impact over time. This study aimed to assess the salience of PHWs and smokers' reactions towards PHWs over time. In May 2014 and May 2015, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based household survey was administered to respectively 1,462 and 1,509 Vietnamese male smokers aged 18 to 35. The result showed that salience of the PHWs 2 years after the implementation was higher than at the point of 1 year after the implementation. The proportion of respondents who tried to avoid noting the PHWs was reduced from 35% in wave 1 to 23% in wave 2. However, "Tried to avoid looking/thinking about the PHWs" increased 1.5 times the odds of presenting quit intention compared to those respondents who did not try to avoid looking/thinking about the PHWs (OR=1.5; 95%CI: 1.2-2.0). In conclusion, avoidance regarding PHWs may not work as a barrier when aiming at a higher level of quit intention. Salience of the PHWs may increase in the period shortly after their introduction onto packs but can be expected to decrease with time. In other words, it might be advisable to change or renew PHWs after a period of implementation to maintain their beneficial effects.