Targeting hand rolling tobacco smokers – ‘Wise-Up to Roll-Ups’ - the first campaign of its kind
Author(s)
Kate Knight, Melissa Cullum and Kate Barrett
Presenter(s)
Kate Knight Head of Social Marketing & Communications, Smokefree South West, Bristol
Melissa Cullum Campaigns and Communications Manager, Smokefree South West, Bristol
Abstract
Recent quantitative research in South West identified that 33% of smokers claimed to use hand rolling tobacco, which is the highest in England.
It was believed that the primary reason for this increasing incidence was price: hand rolling tobacco is the cheapest way to smoke.
However qualitative research was commissioned by Smokefree South West in January 2010 to fully explore user’s beliefs about hand rolling tobacco and explore potential interventions to prompt them to quit smoking.
The key findings were that:
· Most users prefer hand rolling tobacco and believe it is less dangerous than manufactured cigarettes. This belief has enabled many users to deflect current prompts to quit smoking as they feel they undertake a safer behaviour.
So strong are the perceived benefits beyond price that some users claim they would continue to use it even if manufactured cigarettes were reduced to the same price.
In response to these new findings, Smokefree South West embarked on a campaign to change the behaviour of hand rolling tobacco smokers and raise awareness that smoking ‘roll-ups’ is just as bad as smoking ordinary cigarettes.
