Pesticides in tobacco

  • Research program:
  • Project status: Completed
  • Start date: November 1990
  • Expected end date: December 1990
  • Completion date: March 2000
  • Funded by: Commonwealth Department of Health Housing and Community Services
  • Lead organisation:

This project comprised two studies. 1) A national survey of smokers' knowledge and beliefs regarding pesticides in tobacco. A representative sample of 500 smokers from three states, both city and country, was contacted by telephone and asked a series of questions that assessed their current levels of knowledge of pesticides in tobacco. An indication of whether smokers believe pesticide warnings would influence their motivation to cut down or quit smoking was also gained. 2) An intercept study assessing smokers' reactions to different types of warning messages. 300 smokers were identified and interviewed in two locations in Perth using quota sampling to ensure representativeness. They were presented with cigarette packs devised and produced by the Western Australian Health Department which had different types of pesticide warnings on them. Both the wording and pack position of the wording were varied across different mock packets. The smokers were asked to gauge the effectiveness of the different labels with regard to their visibility and impact on motivation to quit.

Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location

This project aligns with the following Sustainable Development Goals and Targets: