The impact of graphic cigarette warning labels and smoke-free law on health awareness and thoughts of quitting in Taiwan

Fong Ching Chang*, Chi Hui Chung, Po Tswen Yu, Kun Yu Chao

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The present study evaluated the impact of Taiwan's graphic cigarette warning labels and smoke-free law on awareness of the health hazards of smoking and thoughts of quitting smoking. National representative samples of 1074 and 1094 people, respectively, were conducted successfully by telephone in July 2008 (pre-law) and March 2009 (post-law). Results reveal that the prevalence of thinking about the health hazards of smoking among smokers increased from 50.6% pre-law to 79.6% post-law, while the prevalence among non-smokers increased from 68.8 to 94.1% during the same period. The prevalence rates of smokers who reported thinking of quitting rose from 30.2% pre-law to 51.7% post-law. Multivariate analyses results indicated that the implementation of graphic warning labels and the smoke-free law significantly increased the odds of awareness about the health hazards of smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 6.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.84-8.44] and thoughts of quitting smoking (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.48-3.87). In conclusion, the implementation of a smoke-free law in combination with graphic cigarette warning labels has been effective in increasing thoughts about the health hazards of smoking and quitting smoking.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)179-191
Number of pages13
JournalHealth Education Research
Volume26
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011 Apr

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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