This study will be an online survey experiment conducted with adults who smoke cigarettes (ages 21+) to examine their reactions to modified risk advertising claims authorized by the Food \& Drug Administration (FDA) for two smokeless tobacco brands (General Snus and Copenhagen), which describe the lower risks of these products compared to cigarette smoking. The study will compare effects of ads with different two different claim types (i.e. claims about reduced lung cancer risk and claims about reduced risks for multiple disease) versus ads with no reduced-risk claims, and examine effects on message and product perceptions, and interest in using the smokeless tobacco products. This study will also examine how smokers' reactions/interest may vary based on the product brand, and asses prior awareness/exposure to the authorized claims.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
1,257
Participants will view smokeless tobacco ads with no modified risk claim (control)
Participants will views ads for the smokeless tobacco brand General Snus
Participants will views ads for the smokeless tobacco brand Copenhagen
Participants will view smokeless tobacco ads with a claim about lower risks for multiple diseases
Participants will either view smokeless tobacco ads with a modified risk claim about lower risks for lung cancer only
Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Product Relative Harm/Risk Perceptions
Multi-item assessment of perceived harm/risks from using the smokeless tobacco products viewed as compared smoking cigarettes
Time frame: Assessed in survey measures completed immediately after viewing the study stimuli
Product Use Intentions
Multi-item assessment of intentions to use the viewed smokeless tobacco products, including interest in trying the product, switching to the product, and likelihood of buying the product
Time frame: Assessed in survey measures completed immediately after viewing the study stimuli
Message Recall
Participants will be asked if they recall (yes/no) if the ads made any risk comparisons with cigarettes, and, if yes, to describe these in an open-ended measure, followed by an aided recall item (with correct and incorrect claim options).
Time frame: Assessed in survey measures completed immediately after viewing the study stimuli
Add and message perceptions
Multi-item assessments to rate the ad stimuli and modified risk claim on perceptions such as believability, credibility, importance, understandability, novelty, and perceived impact on interest in learning more about the products and wanting to use the products
Time frame: Assessed in survey measures completed immediately after viewing the study stimuli
Switching comprehension
An item to assess participants' understanding of the need to completely switch to the smokeless tobacco product in order to reduce risks.
Time frame: Assessed in survey measures completed immediately after viewing the study stimuli
Main cause of smoking harms
An item to explore understanding of the main source of harm from smoking cigarettes.
Time frame: Assessed in survey measures completed immediately after viewing the study stimuli
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