Recognition of cigarette logos by primary school children

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the smoking prevalence, the related factors and the recognition rates of cigarette logos by primary school children. Material and Methods: A questionnaire with multiple-choice questions on colored product logos was completed in their classrooms by 818 (395 boys and 423 girls) students in three primary schools (classes 2-5) in Sivas in this descriptive study. Results: Ever-smoking prevalence was 4.6% (4.3% in boys and 5.0% in girls). More than half of the students (60.8%) had at least one smoker parent. Smoking was more prevalent in children with a smoker mother (p= 0.001) and with a smoker teacher (p= 0.026). The rate of self-purchasing cigarettes in the week preceding the survey was 30.4%. The recognition rates of cigarette logos were 81.1% for Camel, 30.7% for Marlboro, 65.7% for Samsun and 80.9% for Maltepe. Conclusion: The cigarette logos were one of the most commonly recognized product logos by children. Certain measures must be taken into consideration to ban cigarette advertisements. Copyright © 2010 by Türkiye Klinikleri.