| Abstract: | This study investigated the extent to which adolescents believe the health warning labels on cigarette packs, and the relationship of current smoking status and gender to the believability ratings. Subjects were 691 students in grades 5 through 12. MANOVAs revealed that, smokers, both male and female, reported significantly less belief in the validity of 3 of the health warning labels than nonsmokers. These findings support prior investigations which indicate that adolescent smokers are less likely to accept the specific health risks associated with smoking than nonsmokers. The results, however, also raise the question as to what value such health warning labels have as a deterrent to cigarette smoking. |
