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Analyzing the corrective statement ordered in the federal government's lawsuit against the cigarette industry  

Summary:

The Foundation's Substance Abuse Policy Research Program was designed to provide support for investigators to conduct policy research on a variety of subjects directed at helping the country reduce the harm caused by substance abuse. In August 2006, the U.S. Federal Court ruled that the major domestic cigarette manufacturers were guilty of conspiracy to deceive the American public about the health risks of smoking. Judge Kessler ordered a series of remedies designed to respond to the racketeering conduct of the cigarette manufacturers, including the dissemination of corrective statements in newspapers, television, advertisements, cigarette package onsets, retail displays, and Web sites. These corrective statements are intended to address addiction, adverse health effects caused by smoking, adverse health effects of secondhand smoke exposure, manipulation of the physical and chemical design of cigarettes, and the fallaciousness of low tar cigarette marketing. This study will use a survey and eye-tracking to compare the responses (post survey and at one week) of randomly assigned smokers and nonsmokers to the corrective statements developed by the three parties in the case, as well develop and evaluate a pictorial version. Main outcomes include participants' understanding of the messages communicated in the statement, perceptions of tobacco industry manipulation, knowledge and perceptions of the message communicated, and attention paid to and recall of different components of the corrective statement.

Grant Details:

Approved award: $98,523 Awarded on: Aug 17, 2007 Time frame: Sep 1, 2007 - Aug 31, 2010 Grant number: 63113 This grant is associated with the RWJF National Program: Substance Abuse Policy Research Program

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