A new global report by the World Health Organisation has revealed that most tobacco product warnings around the world focus on personal health risks, with cancer being the most mentioned consequence of smoking.

According to a detailed analysis of 574 tobacco health warning captions collected from different countries, the WHO report found that 67 per cent of the messages highlighted direct health effects to individuals.

Cancer topped the list, with the disease featured in 22 per cent of the captions, making it the most frequently cited condition.

“The message is simple: every puff carries a cost, and for many, that cost is cancer,” the report stated, underlining the personal toll of tobacco use.

The study noted that the most commonly referenced forms of cancer were lung, throat, and oral cancers.

Other themes covered in the warnings included respiratory conditions, heart diseases, and reproductive complications.

However, the personal health angle remained the most dominant across all categories.

“People react to what affects them individually,” the report observed. “

“Highlighting the threat of disease and death—especially with vivid imagery—evokes fear and urgency, motivating behaviour change,” reads further.

Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases, echoed this message in his foreword, saying, “The evidence is clear: graphic health warnings on tobacco products, along with mass media campaigns, encourage smokers to quit and discourage nonsmokers from starting.”

Need for Stronger Warnings

Since WHO’s first global tobacco report in 2008, the number of countries implementing graphic warnings has increased from nine to 110, now covering 62 per cent of the global population.

Despite the progress, the report pointed out that many countries still do not enforce the rules strongly enough or fail to refresh the messages to maintain their impact.

“Health warnings must evolve with consumer behaviour and industry tactics,” said Dr Krech. “If they become stale, people tune them out. We need to keep the warnings fresh and relevant to sustain their impact.”

The report recommends several steps to improve tobacco control, including plain packaging, rotating warning messages, and adding quit line numbers and support details on tobacco products.

According to the report, these measures are crucial to helping smokers understand the risks and take action, particularly young people who are vulnerable to tobacco marketing.

“Tobacco use causes devastating disease, disability, and premature death,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “These warnings help people see that.”

While smoking rates have dropped globally over the years, tobacco still kills over 7 million people annually.

The WHO says many smokers continue to underestimate the dangers of tobacco use and calls for urgent action to close this information gap.

The report concludes that strong, visible, and emotionally powerful warnings remain among the most effective and affordable tools in global public health efforts to reduce smoking and save lives.