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A qualitative content analysis of cigarette health warning labels in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States Haines-Saah, Rebecca; Bell, Kirsten; Dennis, Simone

Abstract

The legislation of health warning labels on cigarette packaging is a major focus for tobacco control internationally and is a key component of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This population level intervention is broadly supported as a vital measure for warning people about the health consequences of smoking. However, some components of this approach warrant close critical inspection. Through a qualitative content analysis of the imagery used on health warning labels from 4 countries, we consider how this imagery depicts people that smoke. By critically analyzing this aspect of the visual culture of tobacco control, we argue that this imagery has the potential for unintended consequences, and obscures the social and embodied contexts in which smoking is experienced.

Item Metadata

Title
A qualitative content analysis of cigarette health warning labels in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Creator
Haines-Saah, Rebecca; Bell, Kirsten; Dennis, Simone
Publisher
American Journal of Public Health
Date Issued
2015-02
Description
The legislation of health warning labels on cigarette packaging is a major focus for tobacco control internationally and is a key component of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This population level intervention is broadly supported as a vital measure for warning people about the health consequences of smoking. However, some components of this approach warrant close critical inspection. Through a qualitative content analysis of the imagery used on health warning labels from 4 countries, we consider how this imagery depicts people that smoke. By critically analyzing this aspect of the visual culture of tobacco control, we argue that this imagery has the potential for unintended consequences, and obscures the social and embodied contexts in which smoking is experienced.
Subject
cigarette packaging; health warning labels; tobacco control; content analysis; comparative study
Geographic Location
Australia; Canada; Great Britain; United States
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2016-01-06
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
DOI
10.14288/1.0223100
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/56194
Affiliation
Anthropology, Department of; Applied Science, Faculty of; Arts, Faculty of; Nursing, School of; Non UBC
Citation
American Journal of Public Health, 105 (2), e61-e69.
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
Kirsten Bell
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada