Chapter 4 
I A^ttitudes, Knowledge, and Beliefs About 
j Low-Yield Cigarettes Among Adolescents and 
^ Adults 
ii 
Gary A. Giovino, Scott L. Tomar, Murli N. Reddy, John P. Peddicord, 
Bao-Ping Zhu, Luis G. Escobedo, and Michael P. Eriksen 
I 
, INTRODUCTION Per capita consumption of cigarettes in the United States increased 
1 rapidly from 1900 to 1963 (Miller, 1981; U.S. Department of Health and 
I Human Services, 1989); however, since the January 1964 release of the 
I first Surgeon General's report on smoking (U.S. Department of Health, 
Education, and Welfare, 1964), cigarette consumption has been declining 
(Miller, 1981; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1987 and 1994). In 1994 per 
capita consumption was about the same as during World War II (Miller, 1981; 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1994). However, the prevalence of smoking 
I was slightly higher in the 1940's (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
I 1994a; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1988), indicating 
that smokers in the 1990's consumed more cigarettes per day than did 
smokers in the 1940's (Harris, 1994; U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services, 1980). 
Falls in per capita consumption of cigarettes seem linked to health 
concerns. For example, in the early 1950's, scientific and popular articles 
led to increasing concern about smoking-related cancers. American and 
British studies provided a scientific foundation for the mounting health 
concerns (Doll and Hill, 1950 and 1952; Levin et al., 1950; Wynder and 
Graham, 1950). Articles such as "Cancer by the Carton," published in 
the Reader's Digest (Norr, 1952), also carried the message to many people 
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989). 
One apparent result of these early health communications was the 
marked increase in the consumption of filter-tipped cigarettes. In the 1940's 
few people smoked those varieties (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1962), 
but by 1992 about 97 percent of cigarettes sold had filters (Figure 1) (Federal 
Trade Commission, 1994). Switching to filtered cigarettes was promoted by 
slogans such as "Kent with the micronite filter is smoked by more scientists 
and educators than any other cigarette" (Anonymous, 1985). 
The release of the first Surgeon General's report on smoking was a 
major turning point in public perception of the health threat of tobacco 
(U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1964; U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services, 1989). In response, cigarette companies 
began introducing cigarettes in the 1960's and early 1970's that yielded. 
39 
