As part of continuing efforts to cut the health costs of smoking, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called for the display of graphic images on tobacco product labels.
Cancer Pictures Scare Off Smokers
Support for this proposal comes from a study published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Five hundred smokers in the USA and Canada were asked how likely they were to quit after being shown a cigarette packet with a blank label, or with a label showing a healthy mouth, a damaged smoker's mouth, or a smoker's mouth with a disfiguring cancer. People shown the most gruesome image were most likely to say they wanted to stop smoking.
"The more graphic, the more gruesome the image, the more fear-evoking those pictures were," said Jeremy Kees, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Villanova University and one of the authors of the study. "As you increase the level of fear, intentions to quit for smokers increase."
The FDA has released a series of images that cigarette manufacturers may be required to display on their packaging by October 2012. In Dr Kees's opinion, however, the proposed images are not frightening enough.
"Other countries have had success in using graphic visual warnings on cigarette packages," he said. "It's important that we don't get it wrong. If we have even one warning that is cartoonish, that leaves the door open to smokers discounting all warnings as not realistic."
Good Health Advice Ignored by Most Americans
It is estimated that about 20% of the US population smokes cigarettes, despite the well-known risks to health. Various studies suggest that the problems caused by poor diet and lack of exercise are also being largely ignored.
Speaking at the American Heart Association (AHA) annual meeting in Chicago, Dr Robert Eckel, Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, noted that "only one-third or so [of Americans] have a BMI of less than 25...[and]...probably only 20 or 25 percent are meeting the goals of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise a week."
These findings follow the AHA's publication last year of seven factors judged crucial for a long, healthy life free from heart disease, namely:
- do not smoke
- keep body mass index (BMI) within the normal range (between 19 and 25)
- exercise regularly
- eat a healthy diet
- keep cholesterol low
- keep blood sugar low
- maintain blood pressure in the healthy range.
Dr Eckel and his colleagues found that, of the 18,000 participants in the study, only 29% were following four or more of these recommendations, while just 0.1% followed all seven.
First Aid Training Saves Lives
With so many people unwilling to heed health advice, it is perhaps not surprising that increasing numbers of schools are teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). In another presentation at the AHA Chicago meeting, researchers suggested that knowledge of these techniques can benefit not just the wider community, but the trainees themselves.
In Pennsylvania, for example, 11 people have survived cardiac arrest with the aid of students or school staff trained in CPR and AED use. Meanwhile, in Georgia, survival was 45% among 50 CPR/AED class participants who suffered a sudden heart attack between 2004 and 2010, when most people suffering such an attack would be expected to die before arriving at hospital.
Sources:
- Few Make Lifestyle Changes that Could Keep Their Heart Healthy. Accessed 03-04-11
- My Life Check. Accessed 03-04-11
- School Programs for Cardiac Arrest Saving Lives. Accessed 03-04-11
- Understanding How Graphic Pictorial Warnings Work on Cigarette Packaging. Accessed 03-04-11
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
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