As part of the fight against smoking, the introduction of neutral packets early 2017 was to reduce the attractiveness of tobacco. A new French study seems to prove that the mission is accomplished among 12 youth at 17 years.
THE PACKAGE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO DENORMALIZE TOBACCO AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
As part of its anti-smoking policy, France is introducing neutral tobacco packages on January 1, 2017. The packages all have the same shape, the same size, the same color, the same typography, they are devoid of logos and carry new visual health warnings highlighting the dangerousness of smoking. The aim is to reduce the attractiveness of tobacco, in particular among young people aged 12 to 17, who are more sensitive to marketing.
To assess the impact of this measure, Inserm and the National Cancer Institute launched the DePICT study in 2017 (Description of Perceptions, Images and Behaviors related to Tobacco). This telephone study interviewed 2 different waves of 6 people representative of the general population (000 adults and 4000 adolescents each time) - one just before the implementation of the neutral packages, the other exactly one year later - on their perception of smoking.
In adolescents 12 to 17 years old, the results of the study show that one year after the placement of neutral packages:
- 1 in 5 (20,8%) young people have experimented with tobacco for the first time compared to 1 in 4 (26,3%) in 2016, even taking into account their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. This decrease is more marked among young girls: 1 in 10 (13,4%) against 1 in 4 (25,2%);
- Young people are more likely to regard smoking as dangerous (83,9% versus 78.9% in 2016) and to be afraid of its consequences (73,3% vs. 69,2%);
- They are also less likely to say that their friends or family accept smoking (16,2% versus 25,4% and 11.2% vs. 24,6%);
- Young smokers are also less attached to their 2017 tobacco brand compared to 2016 (23,9% versus 34,3%).
According to the authors of the study, Maria Melchior and Fabienne El-Khoury, " These results show that the neutral package could contribute to denormalizing tobacco in young people and reducing their experimentation.". They specify that " the overall effect would be due to tobacco control policies including the introduction of neutral packages, increased prices made and advertised, and awareness campaigns". Future studies will focus on the impact of this awareness campaign on regular smoking among adolescents.
Source : Doctissimo.fr
