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FDA Cigarette Warning Labels: Eye Tracking Study

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Smoking, Cigarette
Interventions
Other: Pictorial Warning Labels
Registration Number
NCT04936724
Lead Sponsor
Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of cigarette pictorial warning label content (lesser-known vs well-known risks) on visual engagement, recall, and knowledge of tobacco use harms.

Detailed Description

This laboratory-based study will aim to enroll 120 current cigarette users to complete a 1-day randomized, parallel design protocol.

The participants will be randomized to one of two conditions, pictorial warning labels (PWLs) with well-known or lesser-known tobacco harms. After completing a baseline questionnaire, the participants will view 4 warning labels from the assigned group and complete a follow-up questionnaire. Eye-tracking will provide data on visual processing of the warning labels and the effect of these labels on knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about smoking will be supplemented by self-report.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
70
Inclusion Criteria
  • Current cigarette smokers using only filtered commercially manufactured cigarettes; smoking at least 5 cigarettes daily and smoking for at least last 1 year.
  • Participants must physically present a pack of their preferred brand of cigarettes at the lab session to confirm their status as a cigarette smoker.
  • Not currently undergoing smoking cessation treatment or planning to quit smoking currently or in the next month.
  • Plan to live in the area for the duration of the study.
  • Capable of giving written informed consent, which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the combined Informed Consent and HIPAA form.
  • Able to communicate fluently in English (i.e., speaking, writing, and reading) as determined by the research assistant.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Use of any nicotine-containing products other than cigarettes. Participants reporting isolated use of other nicotine-containing products less than 5 times per month are eligible to participate.
  • Not actively trying to quit smoking currently and had not made a quit attempt in the past month.
  • Self-report current alcohol consumption that exceeds 25 standard drinks/week.
  • Self-report current pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Any self-reported impairment - visual (colorblindness or impairments such as glass eye), physical, and/or neurological impairments preventing the proper completion of the study procedures.
  • Serious or unstable medical condition.
  • Lifetime history of schizophrenia, psychosis, and/or bipolar disorder.
  • Current use or discontinuation of anti-psychotic medications within the last 6 months.
  • Current diagnosis of active major depression. Participants who maintain a diagnosis of major depression who have not experienced any major depressive episodes in the past 6 months and are stable on antidepressant medication(s) are eligible to participate.
  • Inability to provide informed consent or complete any of the study tasks as determined by the principal investigator.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Condition A (Lesser-known harms)Pictorial Warning LabelsParticipants randomized to this condition will view cigarette warning labels highlighting lesser-known harms of tobacco use.
Condition B (Well-known harms)Pictorial Warning LabelsParticipants randomized to this condition will view cigarette warning labels highlighting the well-known harms of tobacco use.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Attention: Latency Duration (Time of Fixation) for TextDay 1

We defined areas of interest (AOIs) encompassing the image and text portions of each PWL. For each AOI, we examined attention measures of latency (time until the first fixation in the AOI; i.e., how quickly attention is drawn to the AOI), latency duration (length of the first fixation; i.e., how long the AOI is initially viewed), and total fixation time (sum of all fixations in the AOI; i.e., overall viewing allocation, accounting for viewing the same AOI multiple times). Analyses examined the mean of each outcome across the four PWLs within each condition.

Attention: Latency Duration (Time of Fixation) for ImageDay 1

We defined areas of interest (AOIs) encompassing the image and text portions of each PWL. For each AOI, we examined attention measures of latency (time until the first fixation in the AOI; i.e., how quickly attention is drawn to the AOI), latency duration (length of the first fixation; i.e., how long the AOI is initially viewed), and total fixation time (sum of all fixations in the AOI; i.e., overall viewing allocation, accounting for viewing the same AOI multiple times). Analyses examined the mean of each outcome across the four PWLs within each condition.

Recall: Participants Ability to Recall Condition ImageDay 1

Participants will view 11 warning label images and would be required to identify the warning label images they saw during their eye tracking portion of the session. This outcome measure (Recall -Image) was assessed in a percentage unit of measure. The percentages are not whole numbers for these items because it's the mean % correct for the condition, or the average percent correct across the four images for the group. The results in the Outcome Measure Data table demonstrate the percentage of participants who correctly identified the images from their condition (4 of the 11 images presented to participants were from their randomized condition; A or B).

Attention: Latency (Time Until First Fixation) for TextDay 1

We defined areas of interest (AOIs) encompassing the image and text portions of each PWL. For each AOI, we examined attention measures of latency (time until the first fixation in the AOI; i.e., how quickly attention is drawn to the AOI), latency duration (length of the first fixation; i.e., how long the AOI is initially viewed), and total fixation time (sum of all fixations in the AOI; i.e., overall viewing allocation, accounting for viewing the same AOI multiple times). Analyses examined the mean of each outcome across the four PWLs within each condition.

Attention: Total Fixation Time for ImageDay 1

We defined areas of interest (AOIs) encompassing the image and text portions of each PWL. For each AOI, we examined attention measures of latency (time until the first fixation in the AOI; i.e., how quickly attention is drawn to the AOI), latency duration (length of the first fixation; i.e., how long the AOI is initially viewed), and total fixation time (sum of all fixations in the AOI; i.e., overall viewing allocation, accounting for viewing the same AOI multiple times). Analyses examined the mean of each outcome across the four PWLs within each condition.

Attention: Latency (Time Until First Fixation) for ImageDay 1

We defined areas of interest (AOIs) encompassing the image and text portions of each PWL. For each AOI, we examined attention measures of latency (time until the first fixation in the AOI; i.e., how quickly attention is drawn to the AOI), latency duration (length of the first fixation; i.e., how long the AOI is initially viewed), and total fixation time (sum of all fixations in the AOI; i.e., overall viewing allocation, accounting for viewing the same AOI multiple times). Analyses examined the mean of each outcome across the four PWLs within each condition.

Attention: Total Fixation Time for TextDay 1

We defined areas of interest (AOIs) encompassing the image and text portions of each PWL. For each AOI, we examined attention measures of latency (time until the first fixation in the AOI; i.e., how quickly attention is drawn to the AOI), latency duration (length of the first fixation; i.e., how long the AOI is initially viewed), and total fixation time (sum of all fixations in the AOI; i.e., overall viewing allocation, accounting for viewing the same AOI multiple times). Analyses examined the mean of each outcome across the four PWLs within each condition.

Knowledge of Smoking HarmsDay 1

All participants will select harms caused by tobacco from a list of health issues and diseases, before as well as after viewing the warning labels on the screen. Pre and post warning label exposure knowledge of smoking harms were assessed by using an exploratory scale that asked participants if cigarette smoking caused a list of 18 health conditions with a 5-point response scale, (1=definitely yes 2= probably yes, 3 = might or might not, 4 = probably not, 5 = definitely not).

Recall: Participants Ability to Recall Condition TextDay 1

Participants will view 11 warning label text statements and would be required to identify the warning label text statements they saw during their eye tracking portion of the session. This outcome measure (Recall -Text) was assessed in a percentage unit of measure. The percentages are not whole numbers for these items because it's the mean % correct for the condition, or the average percent correct across the four images for the group. The results in the Outcome Measure Data table demonstrate the percentage of participants who correctly identified the text statements from their condition (4 of the 11 images presented to participants were from their randomized condition; A or B).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction, University of Pennsylvania

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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