Introduction
Youth may be attracted to menthol cigarettes because they are perceived as less harmful
and harsh to smoke relative to non-menthol cigarettes. This study examined demographic
factors and menthol cigarette smoking patterns as correlates of youth harm perceptions
of cigarette smoking and ease of smoking menthol versus non-menthol cigarettes.
Methods
Data were from the Wave 1 (2013–2014) youth sample of the Population Assessment of
Tobacco and Health Study. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models were used
to examine correlations between demographic factors and menthol cigarette smoking
patterns (menthol initiation, past 30-day menthol cigarette smoking, and menthol cigarette
brand preference), with harm perceptions of cigarette smoking and ease of smoking
a menthol cigarette.
Results
Nearly half of ever cigarette smoking youth (43%) first used a menthol cigarette;
21% reported past 30-day menthol cigarette smoking; and 42% of past 30-day smokers
providing brand information used a menthol cigarette as their preferred brand. In
bivariate analyses, initiation with a menthol cigarette and menthol brand preference
(versus non-menthol) were correlated with black race, older age at initiation, and
past 30-day menthol cigarette smoking. In adjusted models, past 30-day menthol cigarette
smoking and menthol cigarette brand preference, but not menthol initiation, were correlated
with the perception that menthol cigarettes are easier to smoke.
Conclusions
Youth who smoke menthol cigarettes perceive them as easier to smoke, even after adjusting
for other factors. Age of initiation and black race emerged as correlates of menthol
cigarette initiation, brand preference, and cigarette harm perceptions, and may inform
future prevention campaigns.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to American Journal of Preventive MedicineAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
REFERENCES
- The role of menthol in cigarettes as a reinforcer of smoking behavior.Nicotine Tob Res. 2010; 12: S110-S116
- Does menthol enhance the addictiveness of cigarettes? An agenda for research.Nicotine Tob Res. 2003; 5: 9-11
- Menthol should not be given a free pass based on studies of biomarkers of toxicity.Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2011; 20: 1269-1271
- Development and validation of a scale to assess attitudes and beliefs about menthol cigarettes among African American smokers.Eval Health Prof. 2010; 33: 414-436
- Marketing of menthol cigarettes and consumer perceptions: a review of tobacco industry documents.Tob Control. 2011; 20: ii20-ii28
- The role of sensory perception in the development and targeting of tobacco products.Addiction. 2007; 102: 136-147
- New cigarette brands with flavors that appeal to youth: tobacco marketing strategies.Health Aff (Millwood). 2005; 24: 1601-1610
- Flavored tobacco product use in youth and adults: findings from the first wave of the PATH Study (2013–2014).Am J Prev Med. 2017; 53: 139-151
- Flavored tobacco product use among U.S. young adults.Am J Prev Med. 2013; 44: 388-391
- FDA regulation of tobacco: politics, law, and the public's health.JAMA. 2009; 302: 1459-1460
- Menthol cigarettes and the public health standard: a systematic review.BMC Public Health. 2017; 17: 983
- Changes in the prevalence and correlates of menthol cigarette use in the USA, 2004–2014.Tob Control. 2016; 25: ii14-ii20
- Differences in subjective experiences to first use of menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes in a national sample of young adult cigarette smokers.Nicotine Tob Res. 2018; 20: 1062-1068
- Are menthol cigarettes a starter product for youth.Nicotine Tob Res. 2006; 8: 403-413
- Menthol cigarettes contribute to the appeal and addiction potential of smoking for youth.Nicotine Tob Res. 2010; 12: S136-S146
- Initiation with menthol cigarettes and youth smoking uptake.Addiction. 2013; 108: 171-178
- Menthol pharmacology and its potential impact on cigarette smoking behavior.Nicotine Tob Res. 2004; 6: S17-S28
- Sociocultural correlates of menthol cigarette smoking among adult African Americans in Los Angeles.Nicotine Tob Res. 2007; 9: 447-451
- The menthol marketing mix: targeted promotions for focus communities in the United States.Nicotine Tob Res. 2010; 12: S147-S153
- The marketing of menthol cigarettes in the United States: populations, messages, and channels.Nicotine Tob Res. 2004; 6: S83-S91
- How the industry is marketing menthol cigarettes: the audience, the message and the medium.Tob Control. 2015; 24: 594-600
- Design and methods of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.Tob Control. 2017; 26: 371-378
- Misperceptions of harm among Natural American Spirit smokers: results from wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study (2013–2014).Tob Control. 2017; 26: e61-e67
- Epidemiology of menthol cigarette use in the United States.Tob Induc Dis. 2011; 9: S1
- Menthol cigarette use among racial and ethnic groups in the United States, 2004–2008.Nicotine Tob Res. 2010; 12: S117-S124
- The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General.HHS, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, Atlanta, GA2014
- Tobacco industry control of menthol in cigarettes and targeting of adolescents and young adults.Am J Public Health. 2008; 98: 1685
- Designing cigarettes for women: new findings from the tobacco industry documents.Addiction. 2005; 100: 837-851
- Menthol cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence.Tob Induc Dis. 2011; 9: S5
- The threat of menthol cigarettes to U.S. public health.New Engl J Med. 2011; 364: 2179-2181
- Menthol Cigarettes and Public Health: Review of the Scientific Evidence and Recommendations.U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Tobacco Products, Rockville, MD2011
- The menthol smoker: tobacco industry research on consumer sensory perception of menthol cigarettes and its role in smoking behavior.Nicotine Tob Res. 2008; 10: 705-715
- Flavour preferences in youth versus adults: a review.Tob Control. 2016; 25: ii32-ii39
- Understanding tobacco use onset among African Americans.Nicotine Tob Res. 2016; 18: S49-S56
- Why we must continue to investigate menthol's role in the African American smoking paradox.Nicotine Tob Res. 2016; 18: S91-S101
- Trends in menthol and non-menthol cigarette consumption in the USA: 2000–2011.Tob Control. 2014; 23: e154-e155
- Comparison of smoking history patterns among African American and white cohorts in the United States born 1890 to 1990.Nicotine Tob Res. 2016; 18: S16-S29
- Differences in quit attempts and cigarette smoking abstinence between whites and African Americans in the United States: literature review and results from the International Tobacco Control U.S. Survey.Nicotine Tob Res. 2016; 18: S79-S87
Article Info
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
