Biomedical subjects

D M Krugman

Publications and source records attributed to D M Krugman.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1989

Recall and eye tracking study of adolescents viewing tobacco advertisements.

The warning on tobacco advertisements was required by the federal government, presumably as a health message to educate the public about the risks associated with tobacco use. Despite its potential public health role, there have been few published studies on the effectiveness of these warnings as a health message. The present study used well-accepted market research methods to examine adolescent viewing of tobacco advertisements. Sixty-one adolescents participated in the study. Eye tracking was used to study how participants viewed five different tobacco advertisements. The average viewing time of the warning amounted to only 8% of the total advertisement viewing time. In 43.6% of cases, the warning was not viewed at all. Following the advertisement viewing, participants were asked to identify the observed warnings within a list that included other simulated warnings. Subjects did only slightly better than random guessing in this test of recognition. Using market research criteria, the federally mandated warning must be viewed as an ineffective public health message in so far as adolescents are concerned.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Do cigarette warnings warn? Understanding what it will take to develop more effective warnings.

Warnings in cigarette advertisements have been the principal method mandated by the federal government to educate consumers about the risks of smoking. Warnings have been required in all cigarette ads for 30 years and have remained largely unchanged during this time. The current warning program was neither developed nor implemented with specific communication goals in mind. Instead, it was negotiated by the government and tobacco industry representatives. The warning program has served the tobacco industry well by providing it with a key argument in tobacco litigation: "We warned you." It has, however, failed as a public health strategy, since much research has shown that the current warnings are ineffective communication devices. If Congress is to be effective in its efforts to educate consumers about the risks of smoking, it needs to rethink the warning strategy while making use of knowledge regarding how warnings work. The paper draws from current studies in order to develop realistic cigarette warning objectives and points out the considerations necessary to create such warnings. To be effective, warnings must be developed, targeted, tested, and revised over time.

Health Education↗