Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-058709
Michelle I Jongenelis, Kahlia McCausland, Stefan Bode, Tess Howard, Melissa Ledger, Sarah J Durkin
{"title":"Impact of product-based e-cigarette marketing on the attitudes and behavioural intentions of young Australians: an experimental study.","authors":"Michelle I Jongenelis, Kahlia McCausland, Stefan Bode, Tess Howard, Melissa Ledger, Sarah J Durkin","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-058709","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2024-058709","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The tobacco industry has a history of using language to downplay the harms associated with cigarettes and mislead consumers and policymakers. Emerging evidence suggests similar tactics are being used in the context of e-cigarettes; however, exploration of the impact of product name on attitudes towards e-cigarettes and susceptibility to use is lacking. This experimental study explored whether attitudes towards e-cigarettes and susceptibility to use are influenced by the names used by the industry to describe and market these products.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>An accredited web panel provider recruited a sample of 383 Australians aged 12-29 years who had never smoked to participate in an online survey that featured an embedded experiment. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions, each of which used a different name to describe e-cigarettes (condition 1: 'e-cigarettes', condition 2: 'vapes'; condition 3: either 'IGETS', 'Puff Bars', 'HQD Cuvies' or 'Gunnpods'). The survey assessed respondents' overall opinion of the product described; attitudes towards the product; liking of the product; and curiosity, willingness and intentions to use the product.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Those in the 'brand name' condition scored higher than those in the 'e-cigarettes' condition on all dependent variables. Those in the 'vapes' condition scored higher than those in the 'e-cigarettes' condition on product attitude.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings indicate that the use of brand names and terms such as 'vapes' instead of 'e-cigarettes' results in more favourable attitudes towards e-cigarettes and susceptibility to use among young Australians. Results highlight the problematic influence of promotional language use favoured by industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"646-650"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141306897","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}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058549
Hana Raskin, Melina Samar Magsumbol, Nandita Murukutla
{"title":"Future of tobacco marketing: the metaverse, NFTs and the next generation of the internet.","authors":"Hana Raskin, Melina Samar Magsumbol, Nandita Murukutla","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058549","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058549","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"706-707"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141876052","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}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-058635
Janet Audrain-McGovern, E Paul Wileyto, Olivia Klapec, Fodie Koita, Andrew A Strasser
{"title":"Switching from cigarettes to IQOS: the relative importance of IQOS-associated reward, reinforcement and abstinence relief.","authors":"Janet Audrain-McGovern, E Paul Wileyto, Olivia Klapec, Fodie Koita, Andrew A Strasser","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-058635","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2024-058635","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This study investigated whether IQOS, a heated tobacco product, can fully substitute for combustible cigarettes and the factors that promote substitution.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adults who smoked cigarettes daily (N=90; 21-65 years) completed a baseline ad-lib smoking period (days 1-5), two laboratory visits (days 6-7) and a 2-week period where they were instructed to switch from smoking cigarettes to using IQOS 3.0 (days 8-21). Mixed-effect modelling estimated the changes in cigarettes per day (CPD) and the percentage of baseline CPD substituted by HeatSticks during the switch period. Predictors included IQOS-associated subjective reward, relative reinforcing value, craving relief and withdrawal relief.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants reduced their CPD to about 30% of their baseline smoking rate by the end of the 14-day switch period (p<0001). A lower versus higher reinforcing value of smoking relative to IQOS (RRV; break point <5 vs ≥5) predicted greater reductions in CPD (β=-1.31 (95% CI -2.35 to -0.27) p=0.013). Initially, IQOS use was 72% of the baseline smoking rate (β=71.64 (95% CI 42.79 to 100.48) p<0.0001) and climbed by 0.8% per day (β=0.82 (95% CI 0.01 to 1.64) p=0.05), for an average substitution rate of 83%. The subjective reward of IQOS was the only predictor of a higher substitution rate (β=4.26 (95% CI 1.03 to 7.50) p=0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>IQOS fully substituted for cigarettes in ~20% of people who were not immediately interested in quitting smoking while the remainder significantly reduced their smoking. Positive reinforcing effects of IQOS foster use and the transition away from combustible cigarettes.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>NCT05076708.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"651-658"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11638403/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141318364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058526
David T Levy, Mona Issabakhsh, Kenneth E Warner, Alex Liber, Rafael Meza, Michael Cummings
{"title":"Evaluating trends in cigarette and HTP use in Japan and measurement issues in the National Health and Nutrition Survey.","authors":"David T Levy, Mona Issabakhsh, Kenneth E Warner, Alex Liber, Rafael Meza, Michael Cummings","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058526","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058526","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introdution: </strong>Studies have reported that the rapid rise in heated tobacco product (HTP) sales in Japan accompanied an accelerated decline in cigarette sales. However, these studies do not distinguish whether those who previously smoked cigarettes became dual users with HTPs (smoking fewer cigarettes) or instead switched completely to HTPs. If HTPs present lower health risks than cigarettes, replacing cigarettes with HTPs is more likely to improve public health than cigarette users continuing as dual users.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To evaluate the role of HTP introduction relative to smoking prevalence, we examine trends in cigarette prevalence as related to trends in HTP use using Japan's National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) from 2011 to 2019. We develop measures of relative changes in smoking prevalence use by age and gender in the pre-HTP and post-HTP periods. We then analyse prevalence data by year using joinpoint regression to statistically distinguish changes in trend.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with the pre-HTP 2011-2014 period, cigarette prevalence decreased more rapidly during the post-HTP 2014-2017 period, particularly among younger age groups. However, the changing format of NHNS questions limits our ability to determine the impact on smoking prevalence, particularly after 2017.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While suggesting that HTPs helped some people who smoke to quit smoking, this study also shows the difficulties in eliciting accurate survey responses about product use and distinguishing the impact of a potentially harm-reducing product in an environment subject to rapidly evolving patterns of use.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"659-663"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11662079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141437587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chasing a buzz: developments in the nicotine pouch market in the UK.","authors":"Crawford Moodie, Georgia Alexandrou, Kamran Siddiqi","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-058679","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2024-058679","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"708-709"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141876051","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}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058448corr1
{"title":"<i>Correction:</i> Associations between tobacco 21 and state flavour restrictions with young adult tobacco use.","authors":"","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058448corr1","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058448corr1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"710"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141493533","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}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058534
Julia Vassey, Erin A Vogel, Jennifer B Unger
{"title":"US adolescents' response to nicotine warning labels in influencer e-cigarette marketing social media posts: a survey-based randomised between-subject experiment.","authors":"Julia Vassey, Erin A Vogel, Jennifer B Unger","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058534","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058534","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>E-cigarette promotional posts with misleading nicotine warning labels on social media may lower adolescents' risk perceptions of e-cigarettes. A between-subject experiment assessed effects of influencers' e-cigarette promotional posts with different nicotine warning labels on adolescents' e-cigarette harm perceptions, susceptibility to e-cigarette use and perceptions of influencer credibility.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In 2022, adolescents (N=1864, M<sub>age</sub>=17 (SD=0.6)) were randomised to view six images and videos featuring influencers promoting e-cigarettes in one of five experimental conditions: two conditions with a 'tobacco-free nicotine' warning label (placed on an e-cigarette in the post or at the top of the post), two conditions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nicotine warning label (on an e-cigarette in the post or at the top of the post (control)) and one no-label condition. Participants rated influencers' credibility (eg, honesty). Harm perceptions of, and susceptibility to use, e-cigarettes were then assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants who viewed posts with the FDA warning label at the top of the post perceived influencers as more honest, trustworthy and informed than in all the other conditions. E-cigarette never-users who viewed posts with a 'tobacco-free nicotine' warning label pictured on an e-cigarette (compared with the FDA label at the top of a post) were more likely to report susceptibility to e-cigarette use (adjusted OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.73).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Alterations of the required nicotine warning labels can make them less effective in deterring e-cigarette use behaviour. Tobacco control authorities could increase enforcement of the FDA-required nicotine warning labels and harness influencers for antitobacco messaging.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"609-617"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11569271/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140946024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058506
Wonjeong Yoon, Hong Gwan Seo, Sungkyu Lee, Eon Sook Lee, Steve S Xu, Gang Meng, Anne C K Quah, Geoffrey T Fong, Sujin Lim, Gil-Yong Kim, Su Young Kim, Sung-Il Cho
{"title":"Reasons for using e-cigarettes among adults who smoke: comparing the findings from the 2016 and 2020 ITC Korea Surveys.","authors":"Wonjeong Yoon, Hong Gwan Seo, Sungkyu Lee, Eon Sook Lee, Steve S Xu, Gang Meng, Anne C K Quah, Geoffrey T Fong, Sujin Lim, Gil-Yong Kim, Su Young Kim, Sung-Il Cho","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058506","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058506","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes is a growing usage pattern in adults, but little is known about the motivations underlying this trend. We investigated the reasons for e-cigarette use among adults who smoke, considering variation in sociodemographic subgroups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This repeated cross-sectional study analysed adults who smoked at least weekly and vaped at any frequency. Data were from the International Tobacco Control Korea Surveys conducted in 2016 (n=164) and 2020 (n=1088). Fourteen reasons for e-cigarette use were assessed in both waves. Subgroup analyses were performed by age, sex and educational level.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The top reasons for e-cigarette use in 2020 were curiosity (62.8%), less harmful than smoking (45.4%) and taste (43.2%). Curiosity was the most cited across age, sex and education subgroups. Significant differences were observed in 2020 compared with 2016, with lower percentages in goal-oriented reasons: helping quit smoking (36.3% vs 48.9%; p=0.017), helping cut down smoking (35.3% vs 52.7%; p=0.001), less harmful to others (39.0% vs 54.6%; p=0.003) and more acceptable (31.6% vs 61.2%; p<0.001). By contrast, non-goal-oriented reasons showed higher percentages in 2020, such as curiosity (62.8% vs 27.9%; p<0.001), taste (43.2% vs 22.1%; p<0.001) and enjoyment (26.8% vs 8.6%; p<0.001). In 2020, a majority of adults who smoked and vaped (53.3%) reported no intention to quit or reduce smoking.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>E-cigarette use for curiosity and pleasure predominated among adults who smoked. The reasons for dual use in adults have shifted from goal-oriented to non-goal-oriented.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"639-645"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11646286/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141327829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-058895
Travis R Whitacre, Alyssa Crippen, Mayah Monthrope, Tanisha Narine, Alex C Liber, Abigail S Friedman
{"title":"Tobacco product flavour policies in the USA.","authors":"Travis R Whitacre, Alyssa Crippen, Mayah Monthrope, Tanisha Narine, Alex C Liber, Abigail S Friedman","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-058895","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2024-058895","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Characterise US residents' exposure to restrictions on sales of flavoured electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), cigars and menthol cigarettes across states and time, and assess correlations between these policies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From 2022 to 2024, we compiled flavour policy locations from advocacy groups and online searches, located corresponding legal texts and reviewed these to identify policy details, including effective dates. Using census data, we calculated the proportion of state residents covered by each policy quarterly from 2009 to 2024 and estimated correlations between them and cigarette taxes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>By January 2024, menthol cigarettes, flavoured cigars and flavoured ENDS sales restrictions covered 15.0%, 18.1% and 28.1% of US residents. About 1 in 10 US residents is subject to flavoured ENDS restrictions without concurrent restrictions on flavoured cigar and menthol cigarette sales. Strong correlations between flavour policy coverage and cigarette tax rates indicate a need to adjust for exposure to a range of tobacco control policies in analyses evaluating any one of these regulations' effects.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While state and local adoption of restrictions on flavoured tobacco product sales has proliferated, flavour policy coverage for combustible tobacco products lags well behind that for ENDS. If this leads some people who vape flavoured ENDS to substitute towards flavoured cigars and/or menthol cigarettes, this policy combination could harm population health.</p><p><strong>Policy implications: </strong>Rapid implementation of proposed US Food and Drug Administration rules barring flavoured cigar and menthol cigarette sales is needed to ensure that regulation of more lethal, combustible tobacco products is not more lenient than restrictions on less harmful nicotine products.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"688-693"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12501946/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143053766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}