Malta will be one of 31 countries participating in the first Neuro Against Smoking (NAS) Project, the world's largest international neuro study dedicated to health issues. The study is being headed by the Neuromarketing Science & Business Association (NMSBA) - the world's first society integrating top minds of the science and business neuro industry from 59 countries - together with NEUROHM headquartered in Warsaw, Poland.

Participating countries are being represented by select companies and universities, with the research for Malta being handled by AAT Services, a member of the AAT Research group, a  company dedicated to the research and production of cutting-edge medical and neuro research technologies.

The three-month NAS Project aims at promoting a healthy lifestyle, supporting a tobacco-free environment and aiding societies and governments in their fight against smoking. Specifically it brings valuable new insights to ongoing discussions on cigarettes warnings. By integrating traditional survey methods with implicit measures (Reaction Time - which allows to explore consumers' impulsive and automatic attitudes), the research will monitor the impact and effectiveness of anti-tobacco warnings presented on cigarette packs.

All participating companies across the different countries involved will use the same methodology and study design.

Carla Nagel, Director of the NMSBA: "I am proud of NMSBA members for uniting around a noble cause with such a great enthusiasm and for investing their time and money in the NAS Project."

Adrian Attard Trevisan, founder of AAT Services and the NMSBA's Chair for Malta, said: "This three-month study will provide valuable cross-cultural knowledge that has not been available to date. The results will indicate what type of cigarette warnings perform best, both from a rational explicit level and from an emotional implicit level. We should also unearth response that are universal versus those that are specific to a particular country or culture."

This initiative also enjoys the support of Malta's Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate. Charmaine Gauci, Director of the directorate, said: "We fully support such research projects which give us the evidence base on which to develop our actions. Malta has already made a lot of achievements in the area of tobacco control and was at the forefront of initiatives related to tobacco. We look forward to this research to help guide us to further actions to support a community free from tobacco." Fielding starts November 1, with the first results being due the end of December.