In line with global trends, Israel will begin adding graphic warnings about the dangers of smoking to cigarette packs and other tobacco products in the coming year, following a newly enacted law.
The warnings, similar to those used in many countries globally, aim to deter smoking by vividly illustrating its health risks. Additionally, informational inserts inside cigarette packs, approved in legislation as early as 2018, are set to follow in later phases.
However, a study conducted by Tel Aviv University, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, found the impact of such messages to be limited. According to the research, personal success stories from individuals who quit smoking were more effective at encouraging others to consider quitting.
The study, which included in-depth interviews with dozens of participants aged 18 to 67, both current and former smokers, explored the perceived effectiveness of anti-smoking campaigns and warning labels.
Participants expressed a high level of awareness regarding the personal risks of smoking, often choosing to avoid engaging deeply with the warnings. However, they showed significant interest in information about the harms of secondhand smoke, particularly its impact on children.
For example, a 41-year-old male participant shared with us that “What would most affect me, the effects of it on people around you, less on people who want to screw up their own health, I admit that it would upset me more to hear that there are thousands of people dying from passive smoking every year. And less about how many smokers die per year.”
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A 25-year-old male participant added, “How much it affects animals, children...I would like to know how I, as a smoker, could best avoid harming them.”
Additionally, it became apparent that many smokers are concerned their children might start smoking, feeling that young people don't understand what addiction truly is until it's too late. For example, a woman in her 60s told us, "If you want to convince people not to smoke, you need to explain that it’s an addiction like any other, and once you start, you can’t stop. I think people don’t realize just how addictive it is. I tell them that I’m addicted and that they shouldn’t even start. That’s what I tell them [my children].”
Preference for positive messages and success stories
Another point that emerged is that smokers expressed a lack of knowledge about the relative risks between different products, such as electronic cigarettes and regular cigarettes, or were unaware of the free smoking cessation services available through health funds in Israel. They voiced a desire for reliable scientific information on the subject.
Additionally, we found that instead of warnings about the dangers of smoking, smokers preferred positive messages about the body’s recovery process after quitting, personal success stories about quitting, and practical tips for cessation. A 40-year-old female smoker shared, “I would really like to see pictures of people telling what their life is after … not the ones who died or got ill, but those that succeeded. I know how much it helps, to hear stories of people who were really addicted.”
A 35-year-old female smoker added, “What’s the percent of success for those that stop and really managed to quit and not go back to it? Knowing that the urge to smoke will fade and receiving messages and information to help me cope with the withdrawal."
The research findings surprised us, particularly the significant interest smokers placed on the harm caused to others, even among younger individuals who were less concerned about their own health risks—a perspective less commonly explored in other studies. While the desire for positive and supportive messages was not unexpected, the findings strongly reaffirm the importance of this approach.
The study indicates that traditional warnings with familiar messages are insufficient and suggests adopting a fresh, innovative approach to help smokers and those around them. In Israel, there is an opportunity to use informational inserts effectively to convey meaningful health messages, particularly if the information is positive, accurate and focused on the harm to others and the body’s recovery process.
- Dr. Vicki Myers and Prof. Laura Rosen of the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Prof. Nurit Guttman of the Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences