Nicotine & Tobacco Research最新文献

{"title":"Author's response to: \"The need to advance the measurement of exposure to digital content.\"","authors":"Jessica M Mongilio, Luisa Kcomt, Stephanie T Lanza, Emily Pasman, Jenny Clift, Rebecca J Evans-Polce","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag095","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding online sentiment toward waterpipe tobacco smoking by applying deep-learning language models to Twitter posts (2021-2023) in the United States.","authors":"Zidian Xie, Puhua Ye, Mengwei Wu, Yiwei Han, Yuka Shimazaki, Jennifer Cornacchione Ross, Erin L Sutfin, Dongmei Li","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Waterpipe tobacco smoking remains a popular social activity among young adults in the United States. This study aims to understand sentiment toward waterpipe on social media in the United States by analyzing Twitter/X data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using keywords (\"hookah,\" \"waterpipe,\" \"shisha\"), we collected US tweets posted between March 2021 and March 2023. Commercial content (eg, containing \"sale,\" \"discount,\" \"$\") was filtered out, yielding 299 544 non-commercial tweets. A random sample of 2300 tweets was manually coded for sentiment (positive/negative/neutral) and for whether the author might use waterpipe, which were used to fine-tune a deep-learning model (Llama-2). We applied BERTopic modeling to identify main themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, tweets with a positive sentiment (57.0%, 170 597/299 544) were higher than those with a negative sentiment (16.7%, 50 196/299 544). Among those Twitter users who might use waterpipe, 82.0% of their tweets showed a positive sentiment toward waterpipe while only 7.5% of the tweets had a negative sentiment. In contrast, among those who might not use waterpipe, 29.6% of their posts showed a positive sentiment and 27.0% of the posts with a negative sentiment. Main themes identified from positive tweets included excitement about waterpipe lounges, enjoyment of specific flavors, and social desires for waterpipe use. Negative tweets focused on health concerns of waterpipe, discomfort from waterpipe smoking, criticism of promotional content, and negative social sentiments.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our results provide preliminary insights into how waterpipe smoking was perceived and discussed among Twitter users in the United States, which could help with future targeted social media-based public health intervention campaigns.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>By applying fine-tuned Llama-2 language models and BERTopic modeling, this study showed how the public perceived waterpipe on Twitter, which varied depending on the user status (whether they used waterpipe or not), time of day or day of week, and geolocation. These findings offer some insights into the waterpipe discourse on Twitter. More importantly, our understanding of different sentiments toward waterpipe will provide useful guidance for designing effective health communication to reduce or prevent waterpipe use.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors Associated with Exposure to Nicotine Pouch Content on Social Media among U.S. Adolescents.","authors":"Hongying Daisy Dai, Paula Guastello, Alyssa F Harlow, Dayoung Bae, Abbey R Masonbrink, Dae-Hee Han, Louisiana M Sanchez, Junhan Cho, Richard A Miech, Steve Sussman, Leah R Meza, Jennifer B Unger, Julia Vassey, Artur Galimov, Adam M Leventhal","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Exposure to tobacco content on social media is associated with adolescent susceptibility to tobacco product initiation. This study examines the prevalence of adolesecent exposure to nicotine pouch content on social media and characteristics of those exposed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data came from U.S. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Wave 7 participants aged 12-17 (January 2022-April 2023). Past-week exposure to nicotine pouch content on social media was estimated overall and by demographic, behavioral, and tobacco use characteristics using weighted percentages and covariate-adjusted logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 10 650 respondents,1.9% reported past-week exposure to nicotine pouch content on social media. Exposure prevalence varied by platform used most often (Snapchat [4.1%], TikTok [2.6%], Instagram [2.0%], YouTube [1.2%]) and was curvilinearly associated with time spent using social media (inverted U). Exposure was more common among adolescents who had ever used nicotine pouches vs. never (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 3.1[95% CI: 1.4-7.0]) and those with high vs. no externalizing problems (AOR[95% CI] = 1.9[1.1-3.5]). Hispanic adolescents had lower exposure prevalence than non-Hispanic White respondents (AOR[95% CI] = 0.6[0.4-1.0]).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Past-week exposure to nicotine pouch content on social media was not merely the result of time spent on social media, but was associated with race and ethnicity, social media platform, and externalizing behaviors. Longitudinal data and further questioning are needed to identify why some adolescent groups have greater exposure to nicotine pouch content and to understand long-term consequences.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intentions to Use FDA-Authorized E-Cigarettes Among Adults Who Smoke Cigarettes in the United States.","authors":"Julia Chen-Sankey, Kathryn La Capria, Siyan Meng, Hao Liu, Fan Ling, Jessica King Jensen, Olivia A Wackowski, Andrea C Villanti","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag091","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag091","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Little is known about intentions to use Food and Drug Administration-authorized e-cigarettes (FAEs) among U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes despite initial product authorizations and ongoing reviews. This study examined such intentions in this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted an online survey in 2024 with adults who smoke cigarettes (n=2,612; ages 21-70) in the U.S. using a national panel. Participants read a description of FAEs and then answered related questions. We assessed the weighted prevalence of intentions to use FAEs (in general and for quitting) and used bivariate and multivariable ordinal logistic regressions to examine associations between sociodemographic, tobacco use behaviors, and FAE use intentions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over half of the participants reported being \"somewhat,\" \"very,\" or \"extremely\" interested in using FAEs in general (53%) and to quit smoking (53%). The multivariable regressions showed participants who reported their subjective financial situation as \"do not meet basic needs\" or had a high school degree or less had lower FAE use intentions than those who reported they \"live comfortably\" or had higher education, respectively. Those with plans to quit smoking or who had used e-cigarettes and FAEs before reported increased FAE use intentions than those who had no plans to quit and had never used those products before, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>FAEs may appeal to more than half of adults who smoke cigarettes, though people with lower socioeconomic statuses or no plans to quit reported lower FAE use intentions. This study can inform policy and communication strategies related to e-cigarette authorization in the U.S.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>This study is among the first nationally representative surveys among U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes to examine the prevalence of intentions to use FDA-authorized e-cigarettes (FAEs), both in general and for smoking cessation, and the socioeconomic and tobacco use-related factors associated with these intentions. The study found that FAEs may appeal to more than half of adults who smoke, though people with lower socioeconomic statuses or no plans to quit smoking reported reduced FAE use intentions. This study can inform policy and communication strategies related to e-cigarette authorization in the U.S.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of Identity Theories in Smoking Cessation Research: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Natalia Maria Simionato, Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Rodrigo Ramalho","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag090","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The role of identity is increasingly a subject of study in smoking cessation research. However, there is still no standard approach to accounting for the construct of identity. The present review was set to identify theories used in peer-reviewed studies to inform the concept of identity in smoking cessation research.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic search strategy containing MeSH-based terms focusing on identity and smoking cessation was applied to three databases on February 15, 2026.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty-one studies were included, using qualitative, experimental, mixed-methods and software-development designs. Nine theories were used: the PRIME theory of motivation (n = 11); Theory of Planned Behaviour (n = 6) and/or Theory of Reasoned Action (n = 1); Social Identity Theory (n = 7) and/or Self-Categorisation Theory (n = 2); Social Identity Threat (n = 4); Symbolic Interaction Theory alone (n = 1) or in combination with Integrative Theory of Identity (n = 1); and Cognitive Dissonance Theory (n = 1). These theories served as theoretical frameworks or foundations for developing hypotheses, guiding data collection and analysis, and conceptualising identity. Despite differences in methods and outcomes, studies highlight that identity plays an important role in smoking cessation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Identified identity theories in smoking cessation research fall broadly into cognitive or social categories, but there is no consistent approach to selecting or operationalising them. Findings are limited by the number and heterogeneity of studies, but suggest identity is a valuable target for enhancing and developing personalised smoking cessation interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Socio-Ecological Factors Impacting Smoking and Recreational Drug Use During Pregnancy: Insights from the Albany Infant and Mother Study.","authors":"Serim Lee, Allison A Appleton","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag092","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Smoking and recreational drug use during pregnancy are significant public health challenges with multifactorial etiology. Most research focuses on the independent contributions of single risk factors. Grounded in the socio-ecological model and the problem behavior theory, this study aimed to identify the broad range of life course individual, interpersonal, and social-contextual factors influencing smoking and recreational drug use during pregnancy among a socioeconomically disadvantaged and racial/ethnic diverse study population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were 291 pregnant women from the Albany Infant and Mother Study (NY, USA). We employed a multimodal design incorporating participant self-reports, physician-assessed clinical characteristics, and area-level measures of neighborhood context.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>15.1% of participants reported smoking, and 21.0% reported recreational drug use during pregnancy. Pregnancy conditions were linked to lower odds of smoking during pregnancy (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.13-0.98), while experience of discrimination increased the odds (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.08-1.65). Higher parity (OR=4.27), pre-pregnancy physical health conditions (OR=1.39), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (OR=1.21), and a poor home physical environment (OR=1.15) were all associated with increased odds of recreational drug use during pregnancy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Several different psychosocial, physical health, and socio-environmental factors were associated with tobacco and substance use behaviors among pregnant women, thereby providing a holistic understanding of these behaviors. The study offers insights for the development of interventions thereby contributing to improved maternal and fetal health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the Role of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Mediating the Relationship Between Smoking and Depression: Findings from the NHANES study.","authors":"Beyza Cihan, Golam M Khandaker, Kyla Thomas, Gemma Taylor","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Smoking is associated with both systemic inflammation and depression, but few studies have examined inflammatory biomarkers as mediators of this relationship.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using 2021-2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, we investigated whether White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Platelet Count (PLT), High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), Mean Platelet Volume (MPV), and Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) mediate associations between smoking status and depressive symptoms. Data from 6029 adults (14.3% current smokers, 25.5% former smokers, 60.2% never smokers) were analyzed with survey-weighted structural equation models and multiple imputation, adjusting for age, sex, and race/ethnicity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Current smokers had higher depressive symptoms (M = 5.81, SD = 5.79) than former smokers (M = 4.08, SD = 4.71) and never smokers (M = 3.91, SD = 4.70). WBC, PLT, hs-CRP, and RDW were elevated in smokers and significantly predicted higher PHQ-9 scores. Mediation analyses showed that WBC explained 10.9% of the smoking-depression association in current smokers (β = 0.01, SE = 0.004, p < .001) and 7.6% in former smokers (β = 0.005, SE = 0.002, p = .008). PLT mediated 3.7% (current smokers: β = 0.005, SE = 0.002, p = .006) and 4.1% (former smokers: β = 0.003, SE = 0.001, p = .003). hs-CRP mediated 3.7% (current smokers: β = 0.005, SE = 0.002, p = .03) and 5.0% (former smokers β = 0.003, SE = 0.002, p = .05). RDW mediated 3.0% of the effect for current smokers (β = 0.004, SE = 0.002, p = .02). MPV showed no mediation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings indicate that systemic inflammation partly explains the link between smoking and depression, highlighting biological pathways that may inform integrated cessation and mental health strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping the Flavoring Landscape: A Comparative Analysis of Tobacco and Related Products.","authors":"Ina M Hellmich, Jeroen L A Pennings, Sanne Boesveldt, Reinskje Talhout","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Tobacco use is unhealthy and addictive. Because flavors can enhance the appeal of tobacco and related products, various countries regulate flavors. Focusing regulations on the flavoring additives, rather than the sensory experience of flavors, may offer a more feasible regulatory strategy. However, flavoring-based approaches introduce challenges when exempting certain flavors, such as tobacco flavor in electronic cigarettes, as the relationship between a products' flavor and its flavoring content is not always straightforward. Additionally, it is unclear whether this relationship is consistent between product types.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We applied self-organizing maps (SOMs) to group tobacco and related products based on the similarity of their flavoring profile (=their combination of flavoring additives). Products were assigned to one of 100 units represented in a 10 x 10 two-dimensional grid, where units with similar flavoring profiles were located closer together. Subsequently, we analyzed and compared marketed flavor names of products with similar flavoring profiles.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Tobacco-based products, such as cigarettes and cigars, clustered closer together and were thus more similar in flavoring profile to each other than to electronic cigarettes and herbal products. Tobacco and non-tobacco products that clustered together shared flavorings predominantly associated with creamy-vanilla, sweet-fruity, or mint/menthol flavorings and flavors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our results indicate that for creamy-vanilla, sweet-fruity, and mint/menthol flavors, flavoring-flavor relationships can be generalized across product types. For other flavors both the base material (tobacco or non-tobacco) and the specific type of product needs to be considered when assessing flavoring-flavor relationships.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>It is known that flavors such as fruit, vanilla, and mint/menthol are common across various tobacco and nicotine products. This study demonstrates that sweet-fruity, creamy-vanilla, and mint/menthol flavors can consist of similar flavoring additives across different tobacco and nicotine products. Additionally, we identified a great variety of flavoring profiles that appear to be product-specific. These insights may be useful for policymakers considering how flavors are formulated across different tobacco and nicotine products, particularly when evaluating whether certain regulatory approaches could apply broadly or require product-specific tailoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tobacco cessation services for cancer survivors: A capture and coding of U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center webpages.","authors":"Karissa Tran, Leeann N Siegel, Madina Smagulova, Grace C Huang, Molly Frauenholz, Lindsey Kirshner, Heather D'Angelo, Susan Czajkowski, Emily Tonorezos, Stephanie R Land","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>People who continue to smoke after receiving a cancer diagnosis experience adverse outcomes. National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers (NCI-DCCs) can help prevent these adverse outcomes by offering tobacco cessation services. This study examined the online availability of tobacco cessation service information by searching NCI-DCC websites to identify webpages offering tobacco treatment services and/or resources (\"web capture\") and by systematically coding these webpages to characterize the services offered and information provided (\"webpage coding\").</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The web capture was conducted during 2023 for 65/72 NCI-DCCs (excluding 7 Basic Laboratory NCI-DCCs) by (1) entering key terms related to tobacco cessation into the search box on the homepages, (2) reviewing the homepages, and (3) reviewing drop-down menus. The webpage coding was conducted during 2024 and 2025 using a multiple-coder protocol designed by NCI subject matter experts and was refined iteratively over three rounds of pilot testing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 225 webpages offered tobacco cessation services. NCI-DCCs had from 0 to 19 webpages captured. Most NCI-DCCs offer counseling services (72.3%), medication (66.2%), quitlines (69.2%), and external resources and services/programs (66.2%). Less commonly, NCI-DCCs offer support groups, group classes, and/or workshops separate from counseling services (35.4%); and NCI-sponsored cessation programs (53.8%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results suggest that many NCI-DCCs offer tobacco cessation services; however, there is still room for improvement in the availability and promotion of tobacco cessation services for cancer survivors.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perceptions of Marlboro Gold and Silver among Youth and Young Adults who Use Tobacco in a Post-\"Lights\" Era.","authors":"Andrew B Seidenberg, Stephanie N Yoon, Tatum L McKay, Jennifer M Kreslake","doi":"10.1093/ntr/ntag086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Effective June 22, 2010, cigarette manufacturers were prohibited from adding \"lights\" descriptors on US cigarette packs. This study examined product perceptions among a population that began using tobacco in an environment devoid of \"lights\" descriptors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We recruited 15-24-year-olds (N=4285) currently using tobacco products to complete an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to view cigarette pack pairs of either Marlboro Red, Marlboro Gold (previously \"Lights\"), or Marlboro Silver (previously \"Ultra Lights\"). Outcomes included relative perceived harm, addictiveness, ease of inhalation, and taste (lower scores indicate lower perceived harm/addictiveness, easier to inhale, and better taste). People who currently smoke cigarettes were asked what they would call the packs they viewed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found no association between pack color and relative harm perceptions or perceived taste. However, for all participants and subgroups, Marlboro Gold was perceived as easier to inhale vs. Marlboro Red. Marlboro Silver was also found to be easier to inhale compared to Marlboro Red among all participants. Among people who do not smoke, Marlboro Gold was perceived as less addictive than Marlboro Red. \"Lights\" was rarely used when naming Gold and Silver packs (<5%), including among those that smoke Marlboro branded cigarettes (<7%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Over a decade after \"lights\" descriptors were banned, pack color was not associated with reduced relative harm perceptions among a sample of young people. \"Lights\" was rarely used when referring to Gold and Silver packs. However, Marlboro Gold was perceived as easier to inhale, prompting concerns about appeal to young people.</p>","PeriodicalId":19241,"journal":{"name":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}