Too Much of a Bad Thing?: Unanticipated Consequences of Cigarette Graphic Health Warnings on E-cigarette Attitudes, Motivation, and Purchase Intentions.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandate requiring the provision of cigarette Graphic Health Warnings (GHWs) on all cigarette packaging is expected to go into effect in the U.S. in April 2022. The warnings include photo-realistic, disturbing images of some of the potential negative health effects of smoking accompanied by corresponding text. This research explores the potential unintended consequences of GHWs that may have negative implications for consumers' health and welfare. Namely, whether GHWs inadvertently bias consumers' judgments about the negative health effects of vaping thus increasing the attractiveness of e-cigarettes is examined. Results show that GHWs have positive direct and indirect effects on tobacco users' e-cigarette-related response. The implications of these findings for marketers, consumer, and public policy makers are discussed and future research opportunities are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]