Abstract
This study was carried out in the period from September 2005 to January 2006 in order to determine
the effect of the frightening pictures printed on cigarette packs on the smoking behavior of 120 Burapha
University students aged 18 to 23 years, using specially designed questionnaires. The average number of
cigarettes smoked per day was 5.2. The results of the study suggested that the warning labels on cigarette
packs had reduced the number of cigarettes by 1-7 cigarettes/day, or 32.5 percent overall. The most
frightening label, which influenced the reduction in smoking, was one showing that cigarettes would
induce lung cancer; the first runner-up in the category was the picture showing that cigarettes lead to bad
breath, followed by one showing that cigarettes cause fatal pulmonary emphysema. The other three labels,
namely smoking enhances aging, smoking is hazardous to the young, and cigarettes are potential
killers, were not effective; therefore, they should be replaced. Smokers avoided seeing the frightening
labels either by removing the cigarettes from the packs and placing them in other containers, using a cover
over the pack, smearing the labels, changing to unlabeled cigarette brands, or purchasing the packs with
less horrifying labels. Accepting the inability to change smokers’ behavior entirely , the researchers opined
that, in addition to frightening the smokers with unhealthy-looking pictures, the implementation of more
effective strategies would be useful, such as making smokers fully realize the hazards of smoking, and
carrying out anti-smoking policies unceasingly.
