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Can positive and negative pictorial messages help smokers quit?

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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : September 15, 2014 4:02 PM IST

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quit-smokingAccording to a study published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, a mixture of messages that emphasise the benefits of quitting smoking and health risks of smoking are the most effective in convincing smokers to quit.

Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggested that 'Gain-framed' messages or messages that stressed the advantages of quitting smoking reduces the risk of death due to tobacco while 'loss-framed' messages - the ones that emphasised the negative outcomes from smoking, such as 'smoking can kill you' - were more effective for smokers who believed quitting would be hard.

For the study, 740 participants were involved who were suggested a mix of messages to convince smokers to give up the habit. They were shown four pictorial pictures - a man using a breathing apparatus; two sets of lungs, one healthy and one diseased; a prone man with stitches on his chest lying on a white sheet; and the cancerous mouth - with loss-frame or gain-framed messages.

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According to said the study's lead investigator, Darren Mays, a Georgetown Lombardi population scientist who specialises in behavioural cancer prevention, it was found that both type of messages helped smokers to quit so leveraging both gain- and loss-framed messaging may prompt more smokers to quit.

Each was effective, researchers found. 'Leveraging policies such as graphic warnings for cigarette packs to help smokers quit is critical to improve public health outcomes. Our study shows that that framing messages to address smokers' pre-existing attitudes and beliefs may help achieve this goal,' said Mays.

Here are some quit smoking tips

  1. Reduce the number of cigarettes to absolute necessities (the numbers and times can be derived from question 2 & 3 above).
  2. The urge to smoke is usually after a meal or a stressful situation. When your system gets its daily prescribed dose, it gets tuned to the number of nicotine doses. The other times when you would smoke are usually excuses.
  3. Create a proper 'quit smoking' plan. Instead of suddenly cutting off entirely one fine day, make a plan to reduce gradually from two packets to one packet in the first 15 days, from one packet to around five in the next 15 and so on.
  4. Let people around you know that you're trying to quit (the list of people as derived from questions 4,5 & 6 above). Letting your friends, family (in case they know) and even your regular paanwala (seller) about your decision to quit smoking is a good idea if you don't trust yourself. They can keep a tab on your impulses. Read more aboutQuit smoking or die

With inputs from PTI

Photo source: Getty images

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