Visual Attention to Nicotine Product Packaging: Eye-Tracking Evidence from a Controlled Experiment

Abstract

Introduction: Nicotine product packaging plays a central role in communicating branding and regulatory information to consumers. While visual attention to health warnings on cigarettes has been studied extensively, the introduction of newer products has led to increasingly complex and inconsistent messaging. Understanding how consumers visually engage with different packaging elements is therefore essential for effective risk communication.Methods: An experimental study was conducted with Czech university students using eye-tracking technology to examine visual engagement with nicotine product packaging. Participants viewed four product types (conventional cigarettes, heated tobacco, e-cigarette, nicotine pouches) and their attention to packaging elements was recorded. Repeated-measures ANOVA and post-hoc tests were used to identify statistically significant differences in attention across predefined areas of interest.Results: Branding elements consistently attracted the most visual attention across all product types, often at the expense of health warnings and detailed text. Warning labels received the most attention only in the case of conventional cigarettes. Average fixation duration and total visit time further confirmed that product composition and marketing elements generally held greater engagement than regulatory warnings.Conclusions: As the nicotine product market diversifies, consumers are increasingly challenged to navigate packaging and assess relative product risks. Our findings show that packaging design systematically directs visual attention toward branding rather than health-related information. This suggests that current regulatory strategies may not effectively support informed decision-making. Providing comparative risk information—rather than relying solely on traditional warnings—could better align communication with actual attention patterns and public health goals.

Keywords: Eye-tracking, Nicotine products, Packaging design, Health warnings, Consumer attention