NCT05439421

Consumer Perceptions of Waterpipe Tobacco Packaging and Digital Marketing Claims

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,507 (actual)
• Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 29 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of marketing claims commonly found on waterpipe, also known as hookah, tobacco packages and in digital marketing on young adults' willingness to try hookah tobacco. Participants will complete two tasks, in random order. Participants will view six sample waterpipe tobacco packages, randomized at the package level to contain a prohibited or potentially-prohibited claim or not (Packaging Task). In the other task, they will view 10 digital marketing advertisements (i.e. Instagram posts or website pages) either with or without prohibited or potentially-prohibited claim, randomized at the advertisements level (Digital Marketing Task).

Detailed description

Background/Objectives The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun to prohibit certain claims on Waterpipe Tobacco (WT) packaging and advertising. Under Section 911 of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, manufacturers and retailers are prohibited from making unauthorized modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) claims, including statements that the product or its smoke: (1) results in reduced harm; (2) contains a reduced level of a substance or presents a reduced exposure to a substance; (3) does not contain or is free of a substance; and (4) statements that use modified risk descriptors such as light, mild, low, or similar descriptors. Some prohibited claims are easily identifiable, but others are more difficult to identify due to lack of specificity in the law and the implicit nature of some claims. Evidence is needed specific to WT packaging and marketing to determine which claims may be associated with consumer harm misperceptions to inform future regulatory actions. The study will address this gap by assessing how such claims influence consumer perceptions and behavioral intentions.

Conditions

• Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Package/Advertisement With Claim	Waterpipe tobacco packages and digital marketing advertisement images with claim of interest as part of design
BEHAVIORAL	Package/Advertisement Without Claim	Waterpipe tobacco packages and digital marketing advertisements shown without claim of interest as part of design

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-10-25
• Primary completion: 2022-11-23
• Completion: 2022-11-23
• First posted: 2022-06-30
• Last updated: 2024-03-19
• Results posted: 2023-11-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States