@article {Elton-Marshalli54, author = {T Elton-Marshall and G T Fong and M P Zanna and Y Jiang and D Hammond and R J O{\textquoteright}Connor and H-H Yong and L Li and B King and Q Li and R Borland and K M Cummings and P Driezen}, title = {Beliefs about the relative harm of {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) China Survey}, volume = {19}, number = {Suppl 2}, pages = {i54--i62}, year = {2010}, doi = {10.1136/tc.2008.029025}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {Background Many smokers in Western countries perceive {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} or {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes as less harmful and less addictive than {\textquotedblleft}regular{\textquotedblright} or {\textquotedblleft}full flavoured{\textquotedblright} cigarettes. However, there is little research on whether similar perceptions exist among smokers in low and middle incomes, including China.Objective To characterise beliefs about {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes among adult urban smokers in China.Methods We analysed data from Wave 1 of the ITC China Survey, a face-to-face household survey of 4732 adult Chinese smokers randomly selected from six cities in China in 2006. Households were sampled using a stratified multistage design.Findings Half (50.0\%) of smokers in our sample reported having ever tried a cigarette described as {\textquotedblleft}light,{\textquotedblright} {\textquotedblleft}mild{\textquotedblright} or {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright}. The majority of smokers in our sample (71\%) believed that {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and/or {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes are less harmful compared to {\textquotedblleft}full flavoured{\textquotedblright} cigarettes. By far the strongest predictor of the belief that {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and/or {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes are less harmful was the belief that {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and/or {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes feel smoother on the respiratory system (p\<0.001, OR=53.87, 95\% CI 41.28 to 70.31).Conclusion Misperceptions about {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and/or {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes were strongly related to the belief that these cigarettes are smoother on the respiratory system. Future tobacco control policies should go beyond eliminating labelling and marketing that promotes {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes by regulation of product characteristics (for example, additives, filter vents) that reinforce perceptions that {\textquotedblleft}light{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}low tar{\textquotedblright} cigarettes are smoother on the respiratory system and therefore less harmful.}, issn = {0964-4563}, URL = {https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/19/Suppl_2/i54}, eprint = {https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/19/Suppl_2/i54.full.pdf}, journal = {Tobacco Control} }