Menthol cigarette alternative products: Awareness, use, and substitution intentions among adults who smoke menthol cigarettes

IF 3.6 2区医学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Addictive behaviors Pub Date : 2025-08-27 DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108470

Christina N. Kyriakos , Grace Kong , Akshika Sharma , Meghan E. Morean , Sakinah C. Suttiratana , Krysten W. Bold

{"title":"Menthol cigarette alternative products: Awareness, use, and substitution intentions among adults who smoke menthol cigarettes","authors":"Christina N. Kyriakos , Grace Kong , Akshika Sharma , Meghan E. Morean , Sakinah C. Suttiratana , Krysten W. Bold","doi":"10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108470","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Menthol cigarette alternative products (e.g., menthol accessories, non-menthol cooling cigarettes) have entered the market and may bypass menthol cigarette restrictions. Understanding awareness, use, and substitution intentions if menthol cigarette sales are prohibited is important for assessing their potential to undermine the public health benefit of such policies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2023 of N = 116 Connecticut adults who smoked menthol cigarettes (mean age = 33.4, 50.9 % female, 50.9 % Black, 13.8 % Hispanic). We assessed awareness and ever use of menthol cigarette alternative products including menthol accessories (i.e., menthol filter capsules, sprays, cards, filter tips) and non-menthol cooling cigarettes with synthetic coolants. We measured substitution intentions to use each product if menthol cigarettes were restricted. Logistic regression models examined associations between sociodemographic and smoking characteristics and outcomes of awareness, ever use, and substitution intentions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Overall, 66.4% were aware of at least one type of menthol accessory, 41.4% had used one, and 80.2% reported substitution intentions if menthol cigarettes were restricted. Moreover, 39.6% were aware of non-menthol cooling cigarettes, 25.9% had used them, and 56.0% reported substitution intentions. Younger age was associated with awareness of menthol accessories and non-menthol cooling cigarettes. Higher nicotine dependence was associated with awareness, ever use, and substitution intentions across all products.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>We found considerable awareness, ever use, and substitution intentions of menthol cigarette alternative products among adults who smoke menthol cigarettes. Findings underscore the importance of comprehensive menthol cigarette restrictions that cover accessories and non-menthol cooling cigarettes to maximize public health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7155,"journal":{"name":"Addictive behaviors","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 108470"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Addictive behaviors","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030646032500231X","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Menthol cigarette alternative products (e.g., menthol accessories, non-menthol cooling cigarettes) have entered the market and may bypass menthol cigarette restrictions. Understanding awareness, use, and substitution intentions if menthol cigarette sales are prohibited is important for assessing their potential to undermine the public health benefit of such policies.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2023 of N = 116 Connecticut adults who smoked menthol cigarettes (mean age = 33.4, 50.9 % female, 50.9 % Black, 13.8 % Hispanic). We assessed awareness and ever use of menthol cigarette alternative products including menthol accessories (i.e., menthol filter capsules, sprays, cards, filter tips) and non-menthol cooling cigarettes with synthetic coolants. We measured substitution intentions to use each product if menthol cigarettes were restricted. Logistic regression models examined associations between sociodemographic and smoking characteristics and outcomes of awareness, ever use, and substitution intentions.

Results

Overall, 66.4% were aware of at least one type of menthol accessory, 41.4% had used one, and 80.2% reported substitution intentions if menthol cigarettes were restricted. Moreover, 39.6% were aware of non-menthol cooling cigarettes, 25.9% had used them, and 56.0% reported substitution intentions. Younger age was associated with awareness of menthol accessories and non-menthol cooling cigarettes. Higher nicotine dependence was associated with awareness, ever use, and substitution intentions across all products.

Conclusions

We found considerable awareness, ever use, and substitution intentions of menthol cigarette alternative products among adults who smoke menthol cigarettes. Findings underscore the importance of comprehensive menthol cigarette restrictions that cover accessories and non-menthol cooling cigarettes to maximize public health.

查看原文本刊更多论文

薄荷醇香烟替代产品：吸烟的成年人对薄荷醇香烟的认知、使用和替代意图

薄荷醇卷烟替代产品（例如，薄荷醇配件，非薄荷醇冷却卷烟）已经进入市场，并可能绕过薄荷醇卷烟限制。如果禁止薄荷卷烟销售，了解人们的意识、使用和替代意图，对于评估它们可能破坏此类政策的公共卫生效益具有重要意义。方法我们在2023年对康涅狄格州吸薄荷醇香烟的N = 116名成年人（平均年龄为33.4岁，女性50.9%，黑人50.9%，西班牙裔13.8%）进行了横断面调查。我们评估了人们对薄荷醇香烟替代产品的认识和使用情况，包括薄荷醇配件（即薄荷醇滤嘴胶囊、喷雾剂、卡片、滤嘴）和含合成冷却剂的非薄荷醇冷却香烟。如果薄荷卷烟受到限制，我们测量了使用每种产品的替代意图。Logistic回归模型检验了社会人口学与吸烟特征、吸烟意识、曾经使用和替代意图之间的关系。结果66.4%的受访青少年知道至少一种薄荷醇附件，41.4%的受访青少年使用过一种，80.2%的受访青少年表示在限制薄荷醇卷烟时有替代意向。此外，39.6%的人知道非薄荷醇冷却卷烟，25.9%的人使用过，56.0%的人表示有替代意图。年龄越小，对薄荷醇配件和非薄荷醇冷却香烟的认识越高。较高的尼古丁依赖性与所有产品的认知、曾经使用和替代意图有关。结论：我们发现吸烟薄荷香烟的成年人对薄荷香烟替代品有相当程度的认识、曾经使用过和替代意图。研究结果强调了全面限制薄荷醇香烟的重要性，包括附件和非薄荷醇冷却香烟，以最大限度地提高公众健康。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Addictive behaviors 医学-药物滥用

CiteScore

8.40

自引率

4.50%

发文量

283

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Addictive Behaviors is an international peer-reviewed journal publishing high quality human research on addictive behaviors and disorders since 1975. The journal accepts submissions of full-length papers and short communications on substance-related addictions such as the abuse of alcohol, drugs and nicotine, and behavioral addictions involving gambling and technology. We primarily publish behavioral and psychosocial research but our articles span the fields of psychology, sociology, psychiatry, epidemiology, social policy, medicine, pharmacology and neuroscience. While theoretical orientations are diverse, the emphasis of the journal is primarily empirical. That is, sound experimental design combined with valid, reliable assessment and evaluation procedures are a requisite for acceptance. However, innovative and empirically oriented case studies that might encourage new lines of inquiry are accepted as well. Studies that clearly contribute to current knowledge of etiology, prevention, social policy or treatment are given priority. Scholarly commentaries on topical issues, systematic reviews, and mini reviews are encouraged. We especially welcome multimedia papers that incorporate video or audio components to better display methodology or findings. Studies can also be submitted to Addictive Behaviors? companion title, the open access journal Addictive Behaviors Reports, which has a particular interest in ''non-traditional'', innovative and empirically-oriented research such as negative/null data papers, replication studies, case reports on novel treatments, and cross-cultural research.