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Introduction: The majority of users of tobacco and nicotine products start using them in adolescence. In order to keep equity considerations at the forefront of tobacco control, it is crucial to assess whether inequalities in prevalence of tobacco and nicotine use exist among adolescents globally., Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data from 538644 school-based adolescents (79.3% aged 13-15 years) in 114 countries (2013-2019). Data were collected on current (past 30-day) use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, waterpipe tobacco and electronic cigarettes. We used weighted Poisson regression models adjusted for sex, pocket money, and age to assess differences in prevalence of current use between boys and girls, and between students with high versus low pocket money., Results: Although there was substantial regional variation, in most countries boys were statistically significantly more likely to report current use of all assessed products (ranging from 50.0% of countries for waterpipe tobacco to 73.3% of countries for electronic cigarettes). Inequalities by sex were less pronounced in Europe compared to other regions. Inequalities by pocket money were less consistent; students with more pocket money were more likely to report current use of cigarettes (vs those with less pocket money) in 61.8% of the countries, but more likely to report current use of smokeless tobacco in only 18.3% of countries., Conclusions: Globally, boys and adolescents with more pocket money are generally more likely to use a range of tobacco and nicotine products. However, these patterns are not universal and local variations should be taken into consideration to design effective and equitable tobacco control policies., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2024 Jawad M. et al.)

Introduction: Disposable e-cigarettes are the predominant type of vaping product used by adolescents and pose a significant public health concern. Identifying factors contributing to this growing trend is essential to curbing the vaping epidemic among youths. This study aims to investigate the growing prevalence and correlates of disposable e-cigarette use among US students., Methods: Data from 48437 US middle and high school students from the 2021 and 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) were analyzed using logistic and ordinal regression models to evaluate disposable e-cigarette use and frequency of use (low, medium, and high) with demographic and psychosocial factors. Weighted prevalence of current e-cigarette use with 95% CIs by device types in 2021 and 2022, were calculated. Odds ratios (ORs) of correlations of disposable e-cigarette use and frequency of use with demographic and psychosocial factors were analyzed., Results: Disposable e-cigarette use increased from 3.9% (95% CI: 3.3-4.7) in 2021 to 5.1% (95% CI: 4.2-6.1) in 2022, and was associated with being female (OR=1.57; 95% CI: 1.29-1.91 vs male), high schoolers (OR=5.14; 95% CI: 3.96-6.67 vs middle schoolers), having low harm perceptions of e-cigarettes (OR=7.75; 95% CI: 5.58-10.75 vs lot of harm), and high exposure to marketing (OR=1.57; 95% CI: 1.05-2.35 vs low exposure). Identifying as LGBTQ (OR=1.41; 95% CI: 1.00-2.00 vs straight), having low academic performance (OR=2.16; 95% CI: 1.15-4.07, D vs A grades), and having psychological distress (OR=2.01; 95% CI: 1.64-2.47, severe vs none) were also linked to increased frequency of use., Conclusions: This study underscores increasing disposable e-cigarette use among US students, noting existing disparities. It identifies high-risk adolescent subgroups vulnerable to disposable e-cigarette use. These findings emphasize the urgency of targeted prevention and stricter regulations on disposable e-cigarettes to combat nicotine addiction among youths., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2024 Chen D.T.H. et al.)

Introduction: Analysis of the tobacco market can provide valuable insights for developing tobacco control strategies. This study examines the market trends of cigarettes, cigars/cigarillos, smoking tobacco, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and tobacco-free oral nicotine, across 97 countries between 2007 and 2021., Methods: We obtained annual tobacco retail value data from Euromonitor Passport and calculated the market share for each type of tobacco product. The research examined trends in retail value and market share globally, stratified by national income level, as well as in individual countries., Results: From 2007 to 2015, the growth of the global tobacco market was primarily driven by cigarette sales. However, starting in 2016, emerging products, including e-cigarettes, HTPs, and tobacco-free oral nicotine, as well as non-cigarette combustible products, including cigars/cigarillos and smoking tobacco, have been mostly responsible for the increases in the global tobacco retail value. High-income countries experienced the greatest increase in the retail value of emerging products, while middle- and low-income countries still observed rises in cigarette sales., Conclusions: Trends in the retail value of different tobacco products varied widely during the study period, with distinct trends observed in different income levels and within individual countries. These trends can supplement prevalence data and be used to inform local tobacco control policies., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2024 Liu Y. and Filippidis F.T.)

Introduction: Transitions between different tobacco products are frequent among tobacco users in Bangladesh; however, the reasons leading to such transitions and why they quit are not well researched. The aim of the study is to examine perceptions and reasons reported by tobacco users in Bangladesh to transition to other products or quit., Methods: Data from four waves (2009-2015) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Bangladesh Survey were used. Repeated data on perceptions and reasons for exclusive cigarette (n=520), bidi (n=130), and SLT users (n=308) to either start using other products or quit were analyzed with sampling weights. The percentages of responses across waves were used to calculate the pooled proportion data using a meta-analysis approach., Results: Common reasonsig for respondents switching to other tobacco products were influence of friends/family (73.8-86.0%), and curiosity (44.4-71.3%). The perceived calming effect of smoking cigarettes and bidis (43.2-56.9%), and the impression that bidis were less harmful (52.3%) and taste better (71.2%) were major reasons for exclusive SLT users to switch products. Health concerns (16.5-62.7%) and disapproval from friends/family (29.8-56.4%) were generally the main reasons for quitting. For smoked tobacco users, doctor's advice (41.6%), package warning labels (32.3%), and price (32.4%) seemed to be the major driving factors to quit., Conclusions: Results highlight that the reasons for switching between tobacco products and quitting include social factors (e.g. friends/family) and (mis) perceptions regarding the products. Tobacco control policy could emphasize cessation support, increased price and education campaigns as key policies to reduce overall tobacco use in Bangladesh. Data from four waves (2009-2015) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Bangladesh Survey were used. Repeated data on perceptions and reasons for exclusive cigarette (n=520), bidi (n=130), and SLT users (n=308) to either start using other products or quit were analyzed with sampling weights. The percentages of responses across waves were used to calculate the pooled proportion data using a meta-analysis approach., Competing Interests: The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. G.T. Fong and A.C.K. Quah report that since the initial planning of the work The ITC Bangladesh Surveys were supported by grants from the US National Cancer Institute (P01 CA138389), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC Grant 104831-003), and Canadian Institutes for Health Research (MOP-79551, MOP115016), and that they were supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (FDN-148477). Furthermore, G.T. Fong reports that in the past 36 months he received a Senior Investigator Award from Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (IA-004)., (© 2023 Chen D.T.H. et al.)

Introduction: The international tobacco market is dominated by five transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) which continue to interfere with measures to reduce tobacco consumption. The aim of this study is to better understand the current international tobacco industry market structure by providing an overview of the market share of these five companies globally., Methods: A longitudinal multi-country study design was used to understand market share trends across 90 different countries from 2011 to 2020. Descriptive analyses were conducted based on market share and market size data obtained from Euromonitor Passport. Market share (%), maximal market share (%) and cumulative market share (%) were calculated. Maps and boxplots are used to present the descriptive analyses. Median cumulative TTC market share and interquartile ranges for each year were calculated and stratified by country income level., Results: The average maximal market share of one company in a country was 50% (IQR: 40.0-63.5) in 2020 compared to 51.5% in 2011 (IQR: 41.3-69.0). One of the five TTCs had the highest market share in 77 out of the 90 countries. Philip Morris International was the main market player in 38 countries, followed by British American Tobacco (24), Japan Tobacco International (8), Imperial Brands (6), and lastly China National Tobacco Corporation was only dominant in China. The percentage of cigarettes manufactured by one of the five TTCs remained relatively stable between 2011 (86.4%) and 2020 (85.2%). Average cumulative TTC market shares increased between 2011 and 2020 in both low- and middle-, and high-income countries., Conclusions: The international tobacco market is concentrated with a small number of large players, and this has not changed substantially between 2011 and 2020. The impact of this on the ability of the tobacco industry to resist policy changes is unknown but presents a cause for concern., Competing Interests: The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. A.A. Laverty reports that in the past 36 months received from World Health Organization personal payment to contribute to a systematic review on health effects of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems. F.T. Filippidis reports that in the past 36 months received from European Parliament, Honorarium to speak in a workshop (2022) regarding novel tobacco and nicotine products., (© 2023 Rajani N.B. et al.)

Introduction: This study describes market trends of flavor capsule cigarettes (FCCs) and menthol (non-capsule) cigarettes (MNCCs) across 78 countries from 2010 to 2020 and examines country-level factors associated with market shares of these products., Methods: Market share and retail volume data came from the Euromonitor Passport database and country-level data came from the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. Multivariable linear fixed effects panel regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between predictor variables and the market shares of menthol (non-capsule) cigarettes and flavor capsule cigarettes., Results: The overall market share (i.e. the percentage retail volume out of total retail volume of all cigarette types) increased from 0.23% in 2010 to 4.5% in 2020 for FCCs and decreased from 5.0% to 3.8% for MNCCs. Market shares of FCCs grew most rapidly in the Americas region and among upper middle-income countries. Market shares of MNCCs remained stable across most regions and were highest in the Western Pacific and Africa regions. The overall market share of FCCs was positively associated with the unemployment rate (β=0.28; 95% CI: 0.12-0.44, p=0.001), and inversely associated with the percent of the population aged 15-29 years (β= -0.57, 95% CI: -0.98 - -0.15, p=0.008), percent of urban population (β= -0.88; 95% CI: -1.28 - -0.48, p<0.001), GDP PPP per capita (β= -0.13; 95% CI: -0.24 - -0.03, p=0.015), and age-standardized prevalence of cigarette smoking (β= -0.93; 95% CI: -1.38 - -0.49, p<0.001). In contrast, the overall market share of MNCCs was positively associated with urbanicity (β=0.24; 95% CI: 0.08-0.40, p=0.003), and negatively associated with the unemployment rate (β= -0.09; 95% CI: -0.17 - -0.02, p=0.014)., Conclusions: Global sales of flavor capsule cigarettes grew substantially in the last decade, surpassing menthol (non-capsule) cigarettes, which also continued to be high in many regions. There is a need for increased efforts to address flavors and novel tobacco products, features that are known to appeal to youth., (© 2022 Kyriakos C.N. et al.)

Introduction: Most people who smoke initiate smoking in adolescence. Risk factors for smoking are changing over time as demographics shift, and technologies such as social media create new avenues for the tobacco industry to recruit smokers. We assessed risk factors associated with smoking uptake and regular smoking among a representative cohort of UK adolescents., Methods: Data come from 8944 children followed prospectively as part of the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Smoking uptake was assessed as adolescents who had never smoked tobacco at the age of 14 years, but reported smoking ≥1 cigarette per week by the age of 17 years (regular smoking). We used logistic regression to assess associations between smoking uptake and selected sociodemographic factors including household income, caregiver smoking, peer smoking, and social media use. Weighted percentages and Office for National Statistics Data were used to estimate numbers of regular smokers and new smokers in the UK., Results: Among the whole sample, 10.6% of adolescents were regular smokers at the age of 17 years. Of these, 52% initiated smoking between the ages of 14 and 17 years. Uptake was more common if caregivers smoked (13.6% vs 5.0%, p<0.001) or friends smoked (12.6% vs 4.3%, p<0.001), and among those reporting >5 hours/day of social media use (9.8% vs 4.1%, p=0.006). Applying these percentages to population data, an estimated 160000 adolescents in the UK were regular smokers by the age of 17 years, of whom more than 100000 initiated smoking between the ages of 14 and 17 years., Conclusions: This analysis of smoking uptake and regular smoking highlight that smoking behavior remains highly transmissible within families and peer groups, reinforcing inequalities. Social media are highlighted as a potential vector., Competing Interests: The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. F.T. Filippidis and A.A. Laverty report that in the past 36 months they received personal payment (consulting fees) from World Health Organization to contribute to a systematic review on health effects of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems. N.S. Hopkinson reports that in the past 36 months he was Chair of Action on Smoking and Health, where A.A. Laverty is a Trustee., (© 2022 Vrinten C. et al.)

Introduction: Most studies use the prevalence of current smoking as an indicator to quantify the burden of smoking. However, length and intensity of smoking, as well as time since cessation for former smokers are also known to impact smoking-related health risks. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the burden of smoking across the European Union (EU) using a range of smoking burden indicators., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the March 2017 Eurobarometer 87.1 (n=27901, people aged ≥15 years) in 28 European Union Member States (EU MS) and the Tobacco Control Scale. We defined five indicators of smoking burden including the prevalence of current and ever smoking, length of smoking, pack-years, and discounted pack-years, and ranked EU MS by each indicator. Two-level linear and logistic regressions were performed to assess the association between these indicators and sociodemographic and tobacco policy factors., Results: Wide variations across the EU countries were observed in all smoking burden indicators. While some MS ranked consistently high (e.g. Greece, France) or consistently low (e.g. Ireland, United Kingdom) in all indicators, we found substantial discrepancies in ranking depending on the indicator used for MS such as Malta, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands. All indicators of smoking burden were lower among women and respondents without financial difficulties; however, the magnitude of those inequalities varied two-fold among the different indicators., Conclusions: Using a range of smoking burden indicators can be more informative than relying on prevalence alone. Our analysis highlights the limitations of relying solely on prevalence of current smoking to estimate the burden of smoking and the potential value of more nuanced indicators. We recommend that multiple and more nuanced indicators that consider former smokers, intensity and duration of smoking should be utilized to monitor tobacco use and evaluate tobacco control policies., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2022 Teshima A. et al.)

Introduction: Increased taxation is one of the most effective tobacco control measures. Price differentials across tobacco product types may undermine the effectiveness of taxation policies by providing the option to switch to cheaper products rather than to quit. The aim of this study was to use commercial data to compare prices and price differentials of both cigarette and non-cigarette products across countries from all geographical regions., Methods: We analyzed 6920 price data points (i.e. product brands) from Euromonitor Passport 2016 for 12 types of tobacco products across 79 countries from the six WHO regions: Africa (n=5), Eastern Mediterranean (n=6), Europe (n=39), the Americas (n=15), South-East Asia (n=3), and Western Pacific (n=12). For each product and country, a price differential was computed as the percentage of minimum price to the median., Results: Median cigarette prices (US$) were highest in Western Pacific countries (4.00; range: 0.80-16.20) and European countries (3.80; range: 0.80-14.00), but lowest in African countries (2.00; range: 0.80-2.20). The medians of cigarette price differentials were largest in the Eastern Mediterranean (48.33%) and African regions (50.00%), but smallest in Europe (82.35%). Pipe tobacco and fine-cut tobacco were generally less expensive than cigarettes while cigars were the most expensive. However, there were wide variations in prices and price differentials across regions and tobacco products., Conclusions: We found substantial variations in prices and price differentials between countries and world regions across tobacco products, likely reflecting differences in taxation policies and structures. Findings identify types of tobacco products in specific geographical regions where price differentials are highest, thereby highlighting areas where taxation policies need improvement, for example through implementing specific excise taxes., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2021 Kyriakos C.N. et al.)

Introduction: There has been significant speculation regarding the association between the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and smoking. We provide an overview of the available literature regarding the association between smoking, risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and risk of severe COVID-19 and poor clinical outcomes, with the aim of informing public health policy and practice, particularly in England., Methods: Publications were identified utilising a systematic search approach on PUBMED and Google Scholar. Publications presenting a systematic review or meta-analysis considering the association between smoking and SARS-COV-2 infection or COVID-19 outcomes were included., Results: Eight studies were identified. One considered the relationship between smoking and the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection, three considered the association between COVID-19 hospitalisation and smoking history, and six reviewed the association between smoking history and development of severe COVID-19. One study specifically investigated the risk of mortality. The studies considering risk of severe disease indicate that there is a significant association between COVID-19 and current or ever smoking., Conclusions: This is a rapidly evolving topic. Current analysis remains limited due to the quality of primary data, although, early results indicate an association between smoking and COVID-19 severity. We highly recommend public health messaging to continue focusing on smoking cessation efforts., Competing Interests: The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. A. Majeed and S. Coronini-Cronberg report grants from the National Institute for Health Research, during the conduct of the study., (© 2020 Grundy E.J. et al.)

Introduction: Having a chronic disease either caused or worsened by tobacco smoking does not always translate into quitting smoking. Although smoking cessation is one of the most cost-effective medical interventions, it remains poorly implemented in healthcare settings. The aim was to examine whether smokers with chronic and respiratory diseases were more likely to receive support to quit smoking by a healthcare provider or make a quit attempt than smokers without these diseases., Methods: This population-based study included a sample of 6011 adult smokers in six European countries. The participants were interviewed face-to-face and asked questions on sociodemographic characteristics, current diagnoses for chronic diseases, healthcare visits in the last 12 months and, if so, whether they had received any support to quit smoking. Questions on smoking behavior included nicotine dependence, motivation to quit smoking and quit attempts in the last 12 months. The results are presented as weighted percentages with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and as adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI based on logistic regression analyses., Results: Smokers with chronic respiratory disease, those aged 55 years and older, as well as those with one or more chronic diseases were more likely to receive smoking cessation advice from a healthcare professional. Making a quit attempt in the last year was related to younger age, high educational level, higher motivation to quit, lower nicotine dependence and having received advice to quit from a healthcare professional but not with having chronic diseases. There were significant differences between countries with smokers in Romania consistently reporting more support to quit as well as quit attempts., Conclusions: Although smokers with respiratory disease did indeed receive smoking cessation support more often than smokers without disease, many smokers did not receive any advice or support to quit during a healthcare visit., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. A Lindberg reports personal fees from Boehringer-Ingelheim, from AstraZeneca, from Novartis, and from Active Care, outside the submitted work. G Rohde reports personal fees from Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Solvay, GSK, Essex Pharma, MSD, Grifols, Chiesi, Vertex, Berlin Chemie, Astra-Zeneca, Bayer, Roche and Novartis for lectures including service on speakers’ bureaus outside the submitted work and/or consultancy during advisory board meetings and personal fees from GSK for travel accommodation/meeting expenses, outside the submitted work. K Przewoźniak reports grants and personal fees from Polska Liga Walki Z Rakiem (Polish League Against Cancer) outside the submitted work. CI Vardavas reports that he is the Strategic Development Editor of TID and that there are no conflicts of interest with this current work. The rest of the authors have also completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.

Introduction: This study assessed characteristics and correlates associated with e-cigarette product attributes and identified correlates of experiencing undesirable events during e-cigarette use among adult smokers across six European Union (EU) Members States (MS) prior to the implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in 2016., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a nationally representative sample of adult cigarette smokers from six EU MS (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain) reporting e-cigarette use; randomly selected through a multistage cluster sampling design from June to September 2016. Stepwise logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with use of flavors, noticing health warnings, mixing e-liquids, experiencing 'dry puff', e-liquid leaking during use and e-liquid spilling during refill., Results: Current daily or weekly prevalence of e-cigarette use among this sample of adult smokers was 7.5%. The most common attributes of e-cigarettes used included those that are flavored, contain nicotine, and are of tank style. Noticing health warnings on e-cigarette packaging and leaflets, respectively, was low (10.2% and 28%, respectively). Use of e-liquid refill nozzle caps, described as easy for a child to open, was associated with spilling during refill (OR=6.73; 95% CI: 2.02-22.37). Participants who adjusted occasionally or regularly the power (voltage) or temperature of their e-cigarette had greater odds of ever experiencing a 'dry puff' (OR=6.01; 95% CI: 2.68-13.46). Mixing different e-liquids was associated with leaking during use (OR=7.78; 95% CI: 2.45-24.73) and spilling during refill (OR=8.54; 95% CI: 2.29-31.88)., Conclusions: Ongoing evaluation of factors associated with e-cigarette attributes and of the correlates of experiencing e-cigarette undesirable events during use, related to product design, is crucial to monitoring the impact of the implementing Acts of the EU TPD., Competing Interests: C. I. Vardavas reports that he is the Strategic Development Editor of TID and that there are no conflicts of interest with this current work. The rest of the authors have also completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work.

Introduction: There are limited data on the potential effects of e-cigarette experimentation on support for tobacco control policies. To bridge this gap, we assessed associations between e-cigarette experimentation and support for tobacco control policies in the European Union 2012-2014. We also investigated variations across tobacco-use status, e-cigarette experimentation and socio-demographic characteristics., Methods: Datasets were used from the Special Eurobarometer for Tobacco surveys performed in 2012 (n=26 751) and 2014 (n=27 801). Tobacco control policies assessed were: banning advertising, policies to keep tobacco out of sight, banning online sales, banning flavors, standardized packaging, tax increases, and policies to reduce illicit trade in tobacco. We use multilevel logistic regression models to assess variations in socio-demographics and tobacco/e-cigarette use with support for these policies in 2014, and examined changes in support for these policies, between 2012 and 2014, separately by tobacco-use status (never, current, and former smokers)., Results: Population support for tobacco control policies was high in 2014: policies to reduce illicit trade had the highest level of support at 70.1%, while tax increases were the least likely measure to be supported with 52.3% support. Among never and former smokers, experimentation with e-cigarettes was associated with reduced support for all tobacco control policies assessed. For example, never smokers who had experimented with e-cigarettes were less likely to support either tobacco advertising bans (adjusted odds ratio aOR=0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.46-0.71) or standardized packaging for tobacco (aOR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.47-0.71). Former smokers who had experimented with e-cigarettes were less likely to either support standardized packaging for tobacco (aOR=0.70, 95% CI: 0.60-0.82) or keeping tobacco out of sight (aOR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.65-0.90). Among current smokers, e-cigarette experimentation was not associated with support for the tobacco control policies assessed., Conclusions: E-cigarette experimentation was consistently associated with reduced support for tobacco control policies among never and former smokers but not among current smokers. The implications of these findings for tobacco control are unknown, but the data support concerns that e-cigarette experimentation may affect public support for established tobacco control policies within specific subgroups. Further research is needed to assess potential long-term impacts on tobacco control policies., Competing Interests: Author C.I. Vardavas is the Strategic Development Editor of TID and reports that there is no conflicts of interest with this current work. C.I. Vardavas also declares that he does not have any relevant financial activities outside the submitted work, or financial relationships with entities listed in the instructions of the ICMJE the 36 months prior to the publication of the present study. He declares that he doesn’t have any patents, whether planned, pending or issued, broadly relevant to the work. A.A. Laverty, F.T. Filippidis and E. Fernandez have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported.

Background: General political views are rarely considered when discussing public support for tobacco control policies and tobacco use. The aim of this study was to explore potential associations between political views, smoking and support for tobacco control policies., Methods: We analysed responses from 22,313 individuals aged ≥15 years from 28 European Union (EU) member states, who self-reported their political views (far-left [1-2 on a scale 1-10]; centre-left (3-4); centre (5-6); centre-right (7-8); and far-right (9-10) in wave 82.4 of the Eurobarometer survey in 2014. We ran multi-level logistic regression models to explore associations between political views and smoking, as well as support for tobacco control policies, adjusting for socio-demographic factors., Results: Compared to those placing themselves at the political centre, people with far-left political views were more likely to be current smokers (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.13; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.01-1.26), while those in the centre-right were the least likely to smoke (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.76-0.93). Similar associations were found for having ever been a smoker. Respondents on the left side of the political spectrum were more likely to support tobacco control policies and those on the centre-right were less likely to support them, as compared to those at the political centre, after controlling for smoking status., Conclusions: General political views may be associated not only with support for tobacco control policies, but even with smoking behaviours, which should be taken into account when discussing these issues at a population level. Further research is needed to explore the implications of these findings.

Background: The use of e-cigarettes has increased during the past few years. Exposure to e-cigarette liquids, whether intentional or accidental, may lead to adverse events our aim was to assess factors associated with e-cigarette exposures across European Union Member States (EU MS)., Methods: A retrospective analysis of exposures associated with e-cigarettes reported to national poison centers was performed covering incidents from 2012 to March 2015 from 10 EU MS. De-identified and anonymous raw data was acquired., Results: In total, 277 incidents were reported. Unintentional exposure was the most frequently cited type of exposure (71.3%), while e-cigarette refill vials were responsible for the majority of the reported incidents (87.3%). Two-thirds of all exposures (67.5%) occurred as ingestion of e-liquids, which was more frequent among children (≤ 5 years, 6-18 years) compared to adults (87.0% vs. 59.3% vs. 57.6%, p  < 0.001 respectively), exposure via the respiratory (5.4% vs. 22.2% vs. 22.2%, p  < 0.001) were more frequent among paediatric patients while ocular routes (2.2% vs. 3.7% vs. 11.4%, p  = 0.021) were more frequent among adults. Logistic regression analyses indicated that paediatric incidents (≤ 5 years) were more likely to be through ingestion (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 4.36, 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.]: 1.87-10.18), but less likely to have a reported clinical effect (aOR = 0.41, 95% C.I.: 0.21-0.82)., Conclusions: Our study highlighted parameters related to e-cigarette exposure incidents in 10 EU MS, the results of which indicate that consideration should be given to the design features which may mitigate risks, thereby protecting users, non-users and especially children.

Background: Increases in tobacco taxation are acknowledged to be one of the most effective tobacco control interventions. This study aimed at determining the mediating role of socioeconomical status (SES) and the earmarking of revenue to healthcare and tobacco control, in influencing population support for the adoption of a 2 Euro tobacco tax increase in Greece, amid the challenging economic environment and current austerity measures., Methods: Data was collected from two national household surveys, the "Hellas Health III" survey, conducted in October 2010 and the "Hellas Tobacco survey" conducted in September 2012. Data was analyzed from 694 and 1066 respondents aged 18 years or more, respectively. Logistic regression models were fitted to measure the adjusted relationship between socio-economic factors for the former, and support for increased taxation on tobacco products for the latter., Results: In 2012 amidst the Greek financial crisis, population support for a flat two euro tax increase reached 72.1%, if earmarked for health care and tobacco control, a percentage high both among non-smokers (76%) and smokers (64%) alike. On the contrary, when not earmarked, only 43.6% of the population was in support of the equivalent increase. Women were more likely to change their mind and support a flat two-euro increase if the revenue was earmarked for health care and tobacco control (aOR = 1.70; 95% C.I: 1.22-2.38, p = 0.002). Furthermore, support for an increase in tobacco taxation was not associated with SES and income., Conclusion: Despite dire austerity measures in Greece, support for an increase in tobacco taxation was high among both smokers and non-smokers, however, only when specifically earmarked towards health care and tobacco control. This should be taken into account not only in Greece, but within all countries facing social and economic reform.