TY - JOUR
T1 - Socioeconomic differences in the effectiveness of the removal of the "light" descriptor on cigarette packs
T2 - Findings from the international tobacco control (ITC) Thailand survey
AU - Siahpush, Mohammad
AU - Borland, Ron
AU - Fong, Geoffrey T.
AU - Elton-Marshall, Tara
AU - Yong, Hua Hie
AU - Holumyong, Charamporn
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2011/6
Y1 - 2011/6
N2 - Many smokers incorrectly believe that -light cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. To address this problem, many countries have banned -light or -mild brand descriptors on cigarette packs. Our objective was to assess whether beliefs about -light cigarettes changed following the 2007 removal of these brand descriptors in Thailand and, if a change occurred, the extent to which it differed by socioeconomic status. Data were from waves 2 (2006), 3 (2008), and 4 (2009) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Thailand Survey of adult smokers in Thailand. The results showed that, following the introduction of the ban, there was an overall decline in the two beliefs that "light" cigarettes are less harmful and smoother than regular cigarettes. The decline in the "less harmful" belief was considerably steeper in lower income and education groups. However, there was no evidence that the rate of decline in the"smoother" belief varied by income or education. Removing the "light" brand descriptor from cigarette packs should thus be viewed not only as a means to address the problem of smokers'incorrect beliefs about "light" cigarettes, but also as a factor that can potentially reduce socioeconomic disparities in smoking-related misconceptions.
AB - Many smokers incorrectly believe that -light cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. To address this problem, many countries have banned -light or -mild brand descriptors on cigarette packs. Our objective was to assess whether beliefs about -light cigarettes changed following the 2007 removal of these brand descriptors in Thailand and, if a change occurred, the extent to which it differed by socioeconomic status. Data were from waves 2 (2006), 3 (2008), and 4 (2009) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Thailand Survey of adult smokers in Thailand. The results showed that, following the introduction of the ban, there was an overall decline in the two beliefs that "light" cigarettes are less harmful and smoother than regular cigarettes. The decline in the "less harmful" belief was considerably steeper in lower income and education groups. However, there was no evidence that the rate of decline in the"smoother" belief varied by income or education. Removing the "light" brand descriptor from cigarette packs should thus be viewed not only as a means to address the problem of smokers'incorrect beliefs about "light" cigarettes, but also as a factor that can potentially reduce socioeconomic disparities in smoking-related misconceptions.
KW - Light cigarettes
KW - Socioeconomic position
KW - Tobacco control policies
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U2 - 10.3390/ijerph8062170
DO - 10.3390/ijerph8062170
M3 - Article
C2 - 21776224
AN - SCOPUS:79959827030
VL - 8
SP - 2170
EP - 2180
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1661-7827
IS - 6
ER -