Adolescents and Their Perception of Packaging on Tobacco Products

Tobacco packaging has historically been designed to appeal to both adults and adolescents, necessitating an understanding of perceptions toward tobacco packaging, and how to ensure prevention of smoking uptake among youth. Aspects of tobacco packaging that have undergone intensive debate and legislature include packaging design and colors, embellishments and logos, and text and pictorial health warnings. Tobacco products that include bright colors and embellishments, misleading words (such as “smooth,” “gold,” or “mild”), or absent health warnings are more likely to lead to misperceptions on the relative and absolute harms of smoking, including among adolescents. The World Health Organization’s recommended inclusion of text and pictorial warnings on cigarette packets and the use of “plain packaging” first adopted in Australia have been shown to combat these misperceptions. Theoretical frameworks such as the Health Belief Model are valuable tools in the design, evaluation, implementation, and review of such public health initiatives.