This Qualitative Eurobarometer study investigating a second generation of tobacco packaging health warnings was commissioned by the Directorate- General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) of the European Commission. The study consisted of a programme of 270 in-depth interviews conducted amongst current, ex- and (amongst the 15-17 age group only) non-smokers across all twenty-seven Member States of the European Union.

The overall aim of the study was to evaluate 24 proposed new health warnings to establish which were likely to have the greatest impact, how the messages could be modified to enhance their impact and which fourteen messages would represent the best selection for adoption.

Overall, the fourteen health warnings we recommended adopting are:
• Smoking causes 9 out of 10 lung cancers (1)
• Smoking causes mouth and throat cancer (2)
• Smoking doubles the risk of cervical cancer (3)
• Smoking destroys your lungs (5)
• Smoking causes heart attacks (7)
• Smoking can kill your unborn child (12)
• Your smoke harms your children, family and friends (13)
• Quit now – stay alive for your children (15)
• Smoking makes it harder to have children (18)
• Smoking reduces your sexual performance (19)
• Smoking causes strokes and severe disability (8)
• Smoking causes leg amputations (9) OR Smoking causes leukaemia (4)
• Smoking causes blindness (10) OR Smokers die younger (22)
If you smoke, your children will smoke (14)