Compare Smokers' Appraisal of Proposed Plain Packs and Existing Cigarette Packs

Completed

Brief Summary: 2 Objectives

1. To explore the noticeability of pictorial health warnings and perceptions of attractiveness and harmfulness towards plain cigarette packets and existing cigarette packets with 85% pictorial warnings in current smokers;

2. to compare the differences in perceptions of packaging in current smokers with different characteristics (i.e. by sex, age, the consumption level of cigarettes, nicotine dependence levels, and types of tobacco used for polytobacco product users);

3. to evaluate the effectiveness in reducing smoking consumption and promoting quit attempts; and

4. to assess the support for the legislation of plain packaging.

Detailed Description: The present study will recruit at least 1,280 current smokers at smoking hotspots in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. Land-based, non-institutionalized Hong Kong residents aged 18 years and over who speak Cantonese or Putonghua are eligible to participate.

Subjects will be shown dummies of branded and plain packets that differ in brand names and plain colours. Subjects will discuss their perceptions of attractiveness and harmfulness, noticeability of warnings and effectiveness in reducing smoking consumption and promoting quit attempts. Their opinions on the legislation of plain packaging will also be asked.

After each interview, interviewers will debrief each interviewee on the harms of smoking and distribute a card providing a quitline and quitting methods.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Hong Kong residents aged 18 years and over
Able to speak Cantonese or Putonghua
Smokers who have tobacco use behaviour of holding a cigarette in the hand or mouth

Exclusion Criteria

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Percent of participants who perceive plain packets as harmful	Baseline	Perceived harmfulness towards plain packets
Percent of participants who perceive current branded packets as attractive	Baseline	Perceived attractiveness towards existing cigarette packets with 15 percent brand logo

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Noticeability of pictorial warnings	Baseline	Noticeability of pictorial warnings of plain cigarette packets and existing cigarette packets with 85% pictorial warnings in current smokers will be compared
Perceived effectiveness	Baseline	The effectiveness in reducing smoking consumption and promoting quit attempts

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