Graphic warnings can quash cigarettes' appeal to kids

New York: Cigarette ads with graphic warning labels that contain images such as bleeding, cancerous gums and lips can snuff out children's view of smoking tobacco as cool, rebellious and fun, suggests a new research. These labels have the anti-smoking effect as similar warning labels on cigarette packs.

"This study suggests the value of graphic warning labels extends beyond just getting people to have more negative feeling about smoking," said lead author Jeff Niederdeppe, Associate Professor at the Cornell University.

"It also seems to have the added benefit of reducing the influence of 'social cue' ads that entice young people to want to smoke in the first place," Niederdeppe added.

For the study, the team studied the graphic warning labels' effect on 451 adult smokers and 474 middle schoolers in rural and urban low-income communities.

Each participant was randomly assigned a set of six ads. Some saw ads with social cues, other groups saw ads with various combinations of text-only warnings, graphic warnings, the current surgeon general warning, brand imagery and social cues.

They found that the graphic warning label drew viewers' attention away from ads and toward the warning, regardless of whether the warning was graphic or text only, more than the current surgeon general warning.