Data collection
Participants were recruited from urban and suburban communities in California using flyers and online classified advertisements. Interested participants called the research number included in the advertisements and they were asked pertinent inclusion criteria questions. Inclusion criteria included age >45 years old (no upper age limit), current smoker or former smoker (smoker defined as “has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime” and former smoker having quit in the last 5 years), able to speak and read English. If the participant qualified they were provided with information about the time and place of the focus group, they were asked for a contact phone number or email and they were contacted the day before the group to confirm their participation. At the group site, participants provided informed written consent and completed a demographic questionnaire that included tobacco use history. The focus groups followed a semi-structured format with open-ended questions that permitted exploration of tobacco-related topics as they emerged in the discussion. They were initially asked to discuss their current tobacco use, current interest in quitting, and the places and situations in which they avoid smoking or use alternative tobacco products. Participants were asked to comment on their exposure to anti-smoking messages. They were asked to recall and comment on cigarette package warning labels and comment on warning labels a handout with pictures of the 2012 proposed FDA warning labels was provided.