The Impact of Cigarillo Warnings on Purchasing

Boston University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cigar Smoking

Treatments: Behavioral: Cigarillo warnings-Surgeon General Text-Only; Behavioral: Cigarillo warnings-FDA proposed text-only; Behavioral: Cigarillo warnings-Pictorial

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency; NIH

Identifiers

NCT05434013

NE-1

R01CA260460 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether different cigarillo warning formats (pictorial, FDA-proposed text-only, current Surgeon General text-only) reduces demand for cigarillos. A previous study has identified that pictorial cigarillo warnings are perceived as more effective, but more information is needed on their impact. This study will address this issue by randomizing participants to see different cigarillo warning formats on cigarillo products within an online experimental tobacco marketplace. Participants will be cigarillo users who are ages 21-35.

Full description

Warning labels on tobacco products convey the health risks and discourage use. Warnings are even more effective when they contain images that depict the health consequences. However, little is known about the impact of cigarillo warnings, including pictorial warnings, on consumer behavior. The Experimental Tobacco Marketplace (ETM) task examines the effects of regulations on tobacco purchasing in the context of a complex tobacco marketplace. This project aims to address the gap in the knowledge about cigarillo risk communication by providing information on best practices for cigarillo warnings. Identifying effective cigarillo warnings is important to inform policy and guide research on effectively communicating risk to ultimately decrease use and tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.

Enrollment: 1,578 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Current cigarillo users: used cigarillos at least one time per week in the past month
• Members of the Kantar Media panel

Exclusion criteria

• Non-English speakers
• Non-current cigarillo users
• Not members of Kantar Media

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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1,578 participants in 3 patient groups

Cigarillo warnings-Surgeon General Text-Only

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete 6 mock shopping trips in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace, and be asked to spend their weekly tobacco budget. Cigarillos in the Marketplace will have one of three cigarillo warnings in the Surgeon General Text-Only format.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cigarillo warnings-Surgeon General Text-Only

Cigarillo warnings-FDA proposed text-only

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete 6 mock shopping trips in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace, and be asked to spend their weekly tobacco budget. Cigarillos in the Marketplace will have one of three cigarillo warnings in the FDA Proposed Text-Only format.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cigarillo warnings-FDA proposed text-only

Cigarillo warnings-Pictorial

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete 6 mock shopping trips in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace, and be asked to spend their weekly tobacco budget. Cigarillos in the Marketplace will have one of three cigarillo warnings in the Pictorial format.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cigarillo warnings-Pictorial