An Exploratory Study of Factors Associated with Male Adolescents’ Perception of Graphic Health Warnings Covering Tobacco Packages

Abstract

Covering tobacco packages with the Graphic Health Warnings (GHW) is one of the most representative anti-smoking policies implemented around the world. We examined factors affecting male teenagers’ perception of the GHW. This study used a web-based panel survey data of high school students and college students in Korea, which was supported by the NRF (N=645). The dependent variables were emotional and rational perceptions of the respondents after looking at GHW. We analyzed the data with hierarchical regression models by statistically controlling the effects of parents’ education level and smoking status, and the allowance of each respondent. According to the results, first, for the emotional perception of GHW, nonsmoking high school students with higher levels of sensation seeking behavior, and smoking high school students with higher self-efficacy, and smoking college students with higher response-efficacy were more likely to perceive GHW as frightening and terrible. Second, for the rational perception of GHW, high school students with higher response-efficacy, regardless of their smoking status, were more likely to reach the rational decision that they should quit smoking because the GHW objectively showed the harmful effects of smoking. Therefore, this study showed that increasing the response-efficacy of teenagers is the most important key to induce them to perceive GHW appropriately.