TY - JOUR
T1 - The Impact of Varying Warning Color on E-Cigarette Advertisements
T2 - Results From an Online Experiment Among Young Adults
AU - King, Jessica L.
AU - Simper, Connor
AU - Razzouk, Jacob
AU - Merten, Julie W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s).
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - Introduction: Advertisement warnings are often overlooked, which reduces the opportunity for risk communication. Methods: We used Prolific to survey 1131 young adults (18-35) who currently used e-cigarettes or tobacco products. We randomized participants to one of four warning conditions: black text on white background (BW), white on black (WB), black on yellow (BY), and yellow on black (YB). We examined associations between condition and attention, recall, ad appeal, perceived message effectiveness (PME), and intentions to use e-cigarettes using chi-square and analysis of variance (ANOVA) where appropriate. We conducted logistic regressions by condition for attention and recall controlling for demographics and tobacco use. Results: The warning was selected as the most attention-capturing area of the advertisement more often by those exposed to yellow warnings than white (59.9% vs. 46.8%), even after controlling for demographics and tobacco use (p <. 05). Recall was greater among those exposed to yellow warnings than white (44.2% vs. 37.3%), which held in controlled models. There were no significant differences between yellow and white warnings for ad appeals, PME, or intentions to use. In subanalyses, WB warnings generated higher PME (10.1 vs. 9.5) and lower intentions to use e-cigarettes (3.0 vs. 3.3) than black on white (BW) (each p <. 05). Conclusions: Yellow warning color increases attention and recall of the warning, but this increase in attention did not translate to differences in downstream effects. Among currently mandated warning variations, the white text on black background warning appears more effective than the BW. Future research should examine whether differences translate to behavior change. Implications: We tested color variations of the FDA-mandated nicotine text warning on e-cigarette advertisements. Yellow variations (yellow text on black background and BY) better-captured attention and increased warning recall compared to the mandated black and white warnings. Among the FDA-mandated BW and WB warnings, the WB variation appears more effective, generating higher perceived message effectiveness and lower intentions to use e-cigarettes. Given the difficulty in implementing pictorial warnings in the United States, color might represent an alternative to improve warning effectiveness. Findings may also be applicable to those designing tobacco-related health communications.
AB - Introduction: Advertisement warnings are often overlooked, which reduces the opportunity for risk communication. Methods: We used Prolific to survey 1131 young adults (18-35) who currently used e-cigarettes or tobacco products. We randomized participants to one of four warning conditions: black text on white background (BW), white on black (WB), black on yellow (BY), and yellow on black (YB). We examined associations between condition and attention, recall, ad appeal, perceived message effectiveness (PME), and intentions to use e-cigarettes using chi-square and analysis of variance (ANOVA) where appropriate. We conducted logistic regressions by condition for attention and recall controlling for demographics and tobacco use. Results: The warning was selected as the most attention-capturing area of the advertisement more often by those exposed to yellow warnings than white (59.9% vs. 46.8%), even after controlling for demographics and tobacco use (p <. 05). Recall was greater among those exposed to yellow warnings than white (44.2% vs. 37.3%), which held in controlled models. There were no significant differences between yellow and white warnings for ad appeals, PME, or intentions to use. In subanalyses, WB warnings generated higher PME (10.1 vs. 9.5) and lower intentions to use e-cigarettes (3.0 vs. 3.3) than black on white (BW) (each p <. 05). Conclusions: Yellow warning color increases attention and recall of the warning, but this increase in attention did not translate to differences in downstream effects. Among currently mandated warning variations, the white text on black background warning appears more effective than the BW. Future research should examine whether differences translate to behavior change. Implications: We tested color variations of the FDA-mandated nicotine text warning on e-cigarette advertisements. Yellow variations (yellow text on black background and BY) better-captured attention and increased warning recall compared to the mandated black and white warnings. Among the FDA-mandated BW and WB warnings, the WB variation appears more effective, generating higher perceived message effectiveness and lower intentions to use e-cigarettes. Given the difficulty in implementing pictorial warnings in the United States, color might represent an alternative to improve warning effectiveness. Findings may also be applicable to those designing tobacco-related health communications.
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U2 - 10.1093/ntr/ntab043
DO - 10.1093/ntr/ntab043
M3 - Article
C2 - 33713411
AN - SCOPUS:85116957872
SN - 1462-2203
VL - 23
SP - 1536
EP - 1541
JO - Nicotine and Tobacco Research
JF - Nicotine and Tobacco Research
IS - 9
ER -