Reactions to Warnings on Hookah Ads

Participants rated on 7-point bipolar scales the extent each ad made them feel not at all anxious/very anxious, not at all worried/very worried, not at all fearful/very fearful and good /bad. Reported as a composite score created by averaging the items. Mean scores range from 1 to 7 where higher mean values represent more negative emotional reactions to viewing the ad.

Participant rated on 9-point bipolar scale an ad's portrayal of WTS. The five attributes that tapped cognitions were: safe/unsafe, healthy/unhealthy, useful/useless, harmful/beneficial, and wise/foolish. The five attributes that captured affect were: pleasant/unpleasant, nice/nasty, enjoyable/not enjoyable, satisfying/unsatisfying, gratifying/revolting. Reported as a composite score created by averaging the items. The mean scores could range from 1 to 7 where a higher mean score reflects a more negative attitude towards WTS.

Two items from the University of North Carolina (UNC) short reactance scale were asked from 1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree: "This ad is trying to manipulate me", and "This ad annoys me." Reported as a composite score created by averaging the items. Mean scores can range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflect higher reactance, meaning that participants felt more reactance (e.g., felt their freedoms were being taken away).

Participants used a three-item measure as a gestalt assessment of how well an ad dissuaded WTS. The three items, rated from 1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree were: "This ad discourages me from wanting to smoke waterpipe tobacco", "This ad makes me concerned about the health effects of smoking waterpipe tobacco", and "This ad makes smoking waterpipe tobacco seem unpleasant to me". Reported as a composite score created by averaging the items. The mean score could ranged from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflects that the ad was more effective at dissuading WTS.

Participants were asked, "To what extent did this ad affect your desire to smoke waterpipe tobacco?" from 1=Reduced my desire a lot to 7=Increased my desire a lot. Mean scores could range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflects that the ad increased a participant's desire to smoke waterpipe tobacco.

Participants who completed the social allure study were asked, "If the activities in the ad were to take place in a location near you, how likely are you to participate in those activities?". Response options were: 1=No chance, 2=Very unlikely, 3=Unlikely, 4=Moderately likely, 5=Likely, 6=Very Likely, and 7=Certain to happen. Mean scores could range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflects a higher probability that the participant would participate in the event depicted in the ad.

Participants who completed the social allure study were asked, "How likely are you to buy the product in the ad?". Response options were: 1=No chance, 2=Very unlikely, 3=Unlikely, 4=Moderately likely, 5=Likely, 6=Very Likely, and 7=Certain to happen. Means scores could range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflects that the study participant would have a higher probability of purchasing the product depicted in the ad.

Participants responded to three questions tapping perceived personal risk, "What do you think is your chance of getting a serious smoking-related disease in your lifetime, such as cancer, lung disease or heart disease, if you do not quit waterpipe tobacco smoking?" (1=No chance to 7=Certain to happen), "How worried are you about getting a serious smoking-related disease in your lifetime, such as cancer, lung disease, or heart disease, if you do not quit waterpipe tobacco smoking?" (1=Not at all worried to 7=Extremely worried, and "Your 'gut feeling' tells you that you are hurting your health when you smoke waterpipe tobacco?" (1=Strongly disagree to 7=Strongly agree). Reported as a composite score created by averaging the items. Mean scores could range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflects a higher overall belief that one is at higher risk for the negative health effects of smoking waterpipe tobacco.

Four 7-point bipolar scales tapped views on WTS: negative/positive, dislike/like, bad/good, undesirable/desirable. Reported as a composite score created by averaging the items. The mean scores range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflect a more positive overall attitudes towards smoking waterpipe tobacco.

Assessed from 1=Not at all strong to 7=Extremely strong by, "How strong is your urge to smoke waterpipe tobacco right now?" Mean scores range from 1 to 7. A higher mean score reflects the participant had a stronger urge to smoke waterpipe tobacco.

Participants were going to be positioned to view several ads, and with an apparatus, track their visual movements.