Summary: | Introduction
South Koreans continue to smoke at high rates. Tobacco manufacturers
have a history of branding cigarettes with misleading descriptors including
the introduction of low or ultra-low tar brand variants. The government bans
traditional misleading descriptors (low, mild) but requires the presence of
machine-assessed tar yields on cigarette packages. Literature suggests the
presence of quantitative constituents can be misleading for smokers. We analyzed
the machine-assessed tar value branding and the presence of additional branding
that highlight tar levels on South Korean cigarette packs.
Methods
In August 2018, we analyzed 178 unique cigarette packs purchased
in Seoul and Busan, South Korea using a systematic protocol. Cigarette packs
were coded for tar levels and classified as ultra-low, low, mid, and high tar. The
presence of misleading descriptors and any additional branding relating to tar or
potentially indicating strength were also coded.
Results
Machine-assessed tar yields ranged from 0.1 to 8 mg. Cigarettes with a
1 mg machine-assessed tar yield accounted for 38% of all packs purchased. A
majority (80%) of packs with tar values <3 mg had additional marketing present
on the pack that highlighted tar yields, compared to 45% for packs with tar values
3 mg or greater. Many (85%) of the 1 mg packs and all of the 0.1 and 0.5 mg
packs had additional marketing present that referenced tar levels.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that tobacco manufacturers are highlighting
and reinforcing the tar yields of lower tar cigarettes by the deliberate use of
tar level branding. These actions have the potential to mislead South Korean
consumers that some cigarettes are less harmful than others. Strengthening of
tobacco packaging regulations to prohibit references to tar yields on packs are
needed to further protect consumers.
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