University of Otago (Wellington) Aspire Aotearoa Research Centre researchers asked 27 people from Dunedin and Wellington, who used roll-your-own tobacco, how they responded to the large graphic warnings on tobacco packs and found they were losing their impact.
Research co-leader and Aspire co-director Prof Janet Hoek said the graphic pack warnings had been highly effective in telling people about the health risks of smoking, but a refresh was needed.
"Study participants thought the warnings had lost impact, but also admitted they actively avoided looking at them, and many rationalised the harms smoking posed and had developed arguments as to why they were not likely to be personally harmed by smoking."
Aspire research fellow Lani Teddy said it was known from other research that avoidance and counter-argument often indicated greater engagement with warnings.
"However, our findings suggest we could engage people who smoke more effectively."
She said the warnings had not been refreshed since their introduction in 2018 and it was timely to think about new approaches.
"For example, many on-pack warnings feature diseased organs that participants found difficult to recognise.
"They [smokers] felt messages that recognised them as whole people would create greater empathy and do more to encourage them to quit."
She said participants also identified other themes they found more motivating and relevant to their everyday lives.
"These included the cost of smoking, the stress of addiction, and the many harms smoking inflicts on their loved ones."
Prof Hoek said rather than persist with messages that created fear but did not offer solutions, it would be more effective to diversify the warning content and provide information with supportive details.
She said some countries used health promotional inserts to offer advice on quitting and help people who smoked feel more confident about quitting.
"Given on-pack warnings can arouse fear, it’s important that we show people the benefits of quitting and provide tips that might help them become smokefree."
She said New Zealand lagged behind policy innovations being adopted elsewhere that could be implemented here.
"Other countries are moving ahead with additional product design policies.
"Canada has introduced warnings on individual cigarettes, a move that Australia is also considering.
"Australia has brought in new regulations that allow for filter regulations and is banning the use of flavour capsules, which make smoking more appealing to young people."
Prof Hoek said the findings of the study should be used by the government as a basis for new policies to reduce smoking.
"The government has repealed legislation that would have seen Aotearoa reach its Smokefree 2025 goal of smoking prevalence falling to 5% or below among all population groups, but it has not provided a clear alternative plan."
