Level: Grades 6 to 9
Overview
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In this lesson, students debate the effectiveness of health warning labels on tobacco products. They begin by looking at different warning labels from around the world, and then focus specifically on Canada's new visual warning labels. Students discuss the elements of effective warning labels, and look at the difficulties of reaching young people with health messages. Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate:
- an awareness of the government's role in protecting people's health
- an understanding of the challenges in reaching young people with health messages
- an appreciation of the design elements of effective warning labels
Preparation and Materials
Create overhead transparencies for:
Photocopy student handouts:
Procedure
Guided Discussion
Distribute the Health Warnings handout to students, and review warnings from various countries. (You may want to skim over the Canadian warning labels, as you will focus on them in more detail shortly.) Ask students:
- Do you think these warnings would change a person's mind about smoking?
- Why or why not?
- Which ones would be the most effective?
A group of former smokers, the Canadian Council for Non-Smoking, wants to replace stark labels on cigarette packages with positive messages that would encourage smokers to quit. Their packages would include slogans such as: "Quitting smoking is one of the most challenging tasks you will ever face. Do it. It will empower you." Or else: "Quitting smoking will absolutely extend your life span."
- Do you think this would be more effective than traditional, scare-tactic warning labels?
- Ask students to brainstorm which elements they believe to be the most important in creating effective health warning labels.
The World Conference on Tobacco OR Health lists these aspects as essential:
- Warning labels should be in black and white (or other sharply contrasting colours), and should occupy at least 25 per cent of the back and front of the package.
- Type style and size must be specified.
- Messages should be unequivocal, simple, and stark, conveying both the nature and magnitude of the risks.
- Warning labels should include rotating messages on different packs.
- Warning labels should be applied to all tobacco products.
- Package labels should also include information on how to quit smoking, and a phone number for more information.
- Tobacco companies should only be permitted to use plain packaging.
Source: 11th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health
Distribute the Canadian Tobacco Warning Labels handout to students (or reproduce it as an overhead transparency).
- Do you think these new, visual labels will be more effective than the old ones?
- What is the main message of each label?
- Which labels are most effective? Why?
- Who are the target groups for the messages in each of the four visual labels? What methods of persuasion does each label use to reach its desired target group? Would they be effective?
- Would any of these labels deter young smokers? Why or why not?
Note: More examples of visual warning labels can be found at Health Canada's media page, on the sidebar.
Put the Cigarette warning cartoon onto the overhead projector. Ask students:
- How close to the truth do you think this cartoon is?
- What personality traits of teenagers might cause tough warning labels to backfire?
Put the Camel ads onto the overhead projector and read them aloud. Ask students:
- What is the message of these humorous "viewer discretion" warnings?
- How do they undermine the Surgeon General's warnings that, by law, must accompany the ad?
- Who is the target audience of this advertising campaign?
- Should this sort of advertising be permitted?
Activity
- Divide the class into small groups. Each group brainstorms some health warnings that would work best for teenagers and kids and writes them down. Come back together as a class and share the results. Students can vote on the most effective messages.
- Have students create posters from the messages they have selected.
