Optimal Urinary Cotinine and Total Nicotine Equivalents (TNE-2) Cut-points for Distinguishing Tobacco Users from Non-Users among American Youth.

Introduction: Tobacco use remains a major public health concern, especially during adolescence when most tobacco habits begin. Tobacco use among youth is commonly assessed through self-reports, but the validity is questioned. Biomarkers, including cotinine and total nicotine equivalents (TNE-2), offer objective indicators of tobacco exposure. However, optimal cut-points for cotinine and TNE-2 to differentiate users and non-users among youth are lacking.

Methods: This study utilized data from Wave 5 (2018-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, including 1,396 youth aged 13-17 years. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine optimal cut-points for cotinine and TNE-2. ROC curves were employed to determine optimal cut-points for differentiating past-7-day and past-30-day tobacco users from non-users, then stratified by sex. Sensitivity and specificity of the cut-points were assessed.

Results: The optimal cotinine cut-point for distinguishing past-7-day any tobacco use was 7.18 ng/mL. Individuals with levels ≥7.18 ng/mL were classified as tobacco users, while those below this threshold were not. Males had a higher cut-point (11.85 ng/mL) compared to females (7.18 ng/mL). Similar patterns were observed for past-30-day any tobacco use. Sensitivity of the cut-point ranged from 69% to 86%; specificity ranged from 75% to 92%.

Conclusions: This study identified optimal cotinine and TNE-2 cut-points for differentiating past-7-day and past-30-day tobacco use from non-use among youth, providing a valuable tool for objective assessment and validation of tobacco use status. Variations in cut-points by sex highlight the importance of sex differences when evaluating tobacco use status for the youth population.

Implication: This study addresses challenges associated with assessing and validating self-report tobacco use among youth by identifying a potentially better way of dealing with the limitations of self-report measures for accurately capturing tobacco use behaviors, particularly among adolescents. Use of biomarkers such as cotinine and TNE-2 provides a valuable alternative approach for determining tobacco use status among youth. Incorporation of biomarker data into tobacco control efforts can improve the accuracy of tobacco use assessment, enhance understanding of youth tobacco behaviors, and ultimately contribute to reduction of tobacco use and associated health risks among this vulnerable population.