Impacto de las advertencias con pictogramas en las cajetillas de cigarrillos en México: resultados de una encuesta en fumadores de Guadalajara

objetive: evaluate the impact of the first pictorial health warning labels (hwls) on cigarette packs in mexico. materials and methods: cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of 1 765 adult smokers from guadalajara, mexico, 2010. logistic regression models were estimated to determine the association between recall of having purchased a pack with a pictorial hwl and psychosocial variables indicating their impact. results: 58% reported having purchased a pack with one of the pictorial hwls, and these were considered the exposed population. exposed smokers reported a greater frequency of thinking about smoking-related risks (34 vs. 25% p=0.003), and thinking about quitting smoking (23 vs. 14% p=0.001). exposure to pictorial hwls was also associated with a greater acceptability of hwls as a means of communicating with smokers (93 vs. 87% p<0.001), as was the perception that the government communicates well about tobacco-related health risks (68 vs. 55% p<0.001). conclusion: pictorial hwls have made smokers think more about these risks and about quitting smoking. this policy should continue to be exploited as a cost-effective educational intervention.