Bloody images and alarming messages slapped on cigarette packets seem to have done little to repel Maltese smokers and the majority continue puffing away, paying little attention to the health warnings.

Health warnings... have become like wallpaper

This is the main conclusion emerging from an EU-wide qualitative survey conducted before announcing last week’s decision to unroll 14 new dissuasive messages that will appear on cigarette packets across the EU.

The survey was based on 10 in-depth interviews carried out in each of the 27 member states with smokers, ambivalent smokers and former smokers of different sexes and ages. Although many recalled the messages on the cigarette packets, which have been around since 2003, the majority said these were ineffective or they simply ignored them. The same result was obtained across the EU.

“Despite widespread recall of health warnings, the majority of respondents from across the EU claimed they tended not to pay attention to the health warnings. For many, they have become like ‘wallpaper’,” according to the survey.

According to Eurobarometer, in addition to recalling the text messages, a number of respondents referred to pictorial health warnings, which appear to have a greater impact than those that are text-based.

In countries where pictures are included in the warnings, Malta being one of the nine member states, the respondents recalled the images and expressed the shock they experienced on seeing them.

According to the latest data (2009), 20 per cent of the Maltese aged 15 and over smoke every day.­