Do Males and Females Differ? Understanding Gender Differences in Graphic Cigarette Warnings’ Effect on Young Adult Smokers’ Thoughts of Quitting

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Language

eng

Format of Original

2 p.

Publication Date

2015

Publisher

Society for Marketing Advances

Source Publication

2015 SMA Proceedings

Abstract

Nearly all lifelong smokers initiate smoking before the age of 26, and the consequences associated with this behavior are severe. Graphic pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages are one method that may be used in attempts to reduce smoking rates among young consumers. Previous research has examined the paths through which the perceived graphicness of these warnings influence thoughts of quitting for young adults. However, prior research does not account for gender differences, which have been found to influence beliefs and intentions related to smoking. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine how these paths from perceived graphicness to thoughts of quitting differ between male and female young adult smokers. The results from a longitudinal study reveal that gender differences are evident in paths from graphicness to thoughts of quitting. These findings support the effectiveness of highly graphic cigarette package warnings, but show that gender should be considered to improve our understanding of the process by which young adult smokers’ thoughts of quitting are influenced.

Comments

Published as part of, 2015 SMA Proceedings, 2015: 326-327. Permalink.

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