AUTHOR=Czaplicki Lauren , Welding Kevin , Cohen Joanna , Clegg Smith Katherine 

TITLE=Feminine Appeals on Cigarette Packs Sold in 14 Countries

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=66

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604027

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2021.1604027

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> Limited research has examined feminine marketing appeals on cigarette packs in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). We reviewed a systematically collected sample of cigarette packs sold across 14 LMICs in 2013 (Wave 1) and 2015–2017 (Wave 2).</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Packs in Wave 1 (<italic>n</italic> = 3,240) and Wave 2 (<italic>n</italic> = 2,336) were coded for feminine imagery and descriptors (flowers, fashion, women/girls, color “pink”). We examined trends in feminine appeals over time, including co-occurrence with other pack features (slim or lipstick shape, flavor, reduced harm, and reduced odor claims).</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The proportion of unique feminine cigarette packs significantly decreased from 8.6% (<italic>n</italic> = 278) in Wave 1 to 5.9% (<italic>n</italic> = 137) in Wave 2 (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Among all feminine packs, flower-and fashion-related features were most common; a substantial proportion also used flavor and reduced odor appeals.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> While there was a notable presence of feminine packs, the decline observed may reflect global trends toward marketing gender-neutral cigarettes to women and a general contempt for using traditional femininity to market products directly to women. Plain packaging standards may reduce the influence of branding on smoking among women.</p>