Race and ethnicity differences in the association between the sensory experience and appeal of e-cigarette products: A pooled analysis of four within-subject experiments

We pooled data from four product appeal testing experiments to examine whether associations of sensory attribute ratings (i.e., sweet, smooth, bitter, and harsh) of e-cigarettes with product appeal are moderated by race/ethnicity. Non-Hispanic White (n = 174), Black (n = 99), Asian (n = 34), Hispanic (n = 29), another race (n = 13), and multiracial (n = 56) adult tobacco product users completed product appeal testing. Participants self-administrated standardized doses of 8–40 different e-cigarette products (depending on the experiment) and rated the products’ sensory attributes and appeal. Multilevel models examined race/ethnicity as a moderator of the association of sensory attributes with appeal, using analyses partitioning between- and within-subjects variance. Product-specific (within-subjects) variance in sweetness was associated with enhanced e-cigarette appeal less strongly for Black vs. non-Hispanic White participants. Product-specific smoothness enhanced e-cigarette appeal more strongly for multiracial vs. non-Hispanic White participants. Product-specific bitterness reduced e-cigarette appeal more strongly for Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic White participants. Product-specific harshness reduced e-cigarette appeal and product-specific smoothness enhanced appeal less for Asian compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Regulatory restrictions on additives that suppress the harsh or bitter qualities of e-cigarettes may deter Hispanic adults from e-cigarettes but may be less likely to deter Asian adults. Black adults perceived appeal was less related to sweetness and thus may be more responsive to regulations outside of bans on sweet additives.