| Summary: | Introduction
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
recommends that graphic health warning labels (GHWLs) be positioned at the
top of the principal area of cigarette packs, rather than at the bottom, to increase
visibility. However, during the legislative process of introducing GHWLs in
South Korea, the position of GHWLs has become a contested issue. The protobacco
industry group argued that the warnings should be placed at the bottom
of cigarette packs because evidence for the effectiveness of the upper position
was insufficient. Therefore, this study investigated whether the position of the
GHWL affects eye movement.
Methods
Participants (30 daily smokers and 24 non-smokers) were shown six
cigarette packs in random order with different position combinations (top,
middle, bottom) and image concepts (skin aging, toxic constituents). Participants’
eye movements were recorded using eye-tracking equipment to measure visual
fixation duration in milliseconds (ms).
Results
Participants visually fixated longer on the health warning area than on
the tobacco branding area (p 0.05).
Conclusions
The duration of visual fixation on GHWLs was longer when they
were displayed at the top and middle, rather than at the bottom. Therefore,
GHWLs should be positioned from the top to the middle of the tobacco package.
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