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Plain cigarette packaging helps deter tobacco consumption in young people, according to a study

Spanish version: sl.ugr.es/09IN

French version: sl.ugr.es/09IR

An investigation in which the University of Granada (UGR) participated examines the potential effects that plain packaging has over various aspects related to smoking behavior

Australia was the first country to implement plain packaging for tobacco products in 2012

In 2008, the World Health Organization recommended the use of plain packaging, also known as generic or neutral packaging, for tobacco products. This came as a part of a strategy to control tobacco use that included, among other efforts, price measures, health campaigns and subsidies for smokers wanting to quit. Since then, more and more countries have adopted plain packaging in order to reduce the appeal of cigarette packs, increase the effectiveness of health warnings and curb misleading information about tobacco’s health effects.

An investigation in which a researcher from the University of Granada (UGR) participated, published in the Gaceta Sanitaria (Health Gazette), an international journal and the official scientific journal of the Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration, examined the potential effects that plain packaging has over various aspects related to smoking behavior.

After the progressive prohibition of advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products, packaging has become the center of the marketing strategy in the tobacco industry. Plain packaging looks to take away the attractive and promotional aspects of cigarette packets, conserving only the brand name, which must appear in a standard font, size, color and position on the package.

Additionally, the package’s base color, different from that of the health warnings, must be subdued and unattractive, while the sizes, materials, textures and methods of opening the packets must be standardized in order to minimize marketing efforts used to differentiate products.

Some studies have revealed that plain packaging, among other effects, makes it more difficult for the consumer to identify with the tobacco brand and conveys a less positive image of the brand, especially among adolescents. Thus, according to these studies, plain packaging increases negative perceptions of the product’s consumption.

Australia was the first country to implement plain tobacco packaging in 2012. This allowed researchers from the Spanish Universities of Granada, Zaragoza and Cádiz, to assess the effectiveness of this measure in the population and different groups of smokers. The oceanic country incorporated plain packaging along with an increase in the size of the health warnings on those packages, which went from occupying 30% to 75% of the cigarette package.

Juan Miguel Rey Pino, from the Department of Marketing and Market Research at the UGR, co-author of this article, stated that studies performed in Australia after plain packaging was adopted seem to confirm the results of previous investigations. The new plain packaging produces a more negative view of cigarettes and reduces their appeal.

Recent studies suggest that plain packaging is an important tool to reduce tobacco consumption in adolescents and women, as these populations are more susceptible to the messages created by the tobacco industry. On the other hand, it is less effective among smokers, because of the addictive properties of nicotine and other factors related to smoking behavior.

Bibliographical reference:

El envase neutro de los productos de tabaco: una nueva estrategia para el control del tabaquismo

Juan Miguel Rey-Pino, Isabel Nerín y Mª Blanca Lacave-García

Gaceta Sanitaria. 2017; 31(1), 62-65.

Attached images:

Envase neutro de tabaco

1. Example of plain tobacco packaging in Australia.

Juan Miguel

2. UGR researcher, Juan Miguel Rey Pino, from the UGR Department of Marketing and Market Research, one of the authors of this work.

Contact:

Juan Miguel Rey Pino

Department of Marketing and Market Research at the UGR

Telephones: (+34) 958 248 874; (+34) 958 241 598

E-mail: jrey@ugr.es