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To examine whether Tobacco 21 (T21) law coverage moderated associations between cigarette prices and adolescent smoking and associated disparities. We used nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional 2014–2020 Monitoring the Future study data (n = 20,547–96,083) to examine associations between state-level average cigarette price per pack and county-level T21 coverage (100% vs. < 100%) on past 30-day smoking participation, first and daily cigarette smoking initiation, and smoking intentions in US adolescents in eighth, 10th, and 12th grade. We implemented weighted, grade-stratified, modified Poisson regression models to test for interactions between price and T21 coverage for each outcome. We also tested for disparities by sex, race and ethnicity, parental education, and college educational expectations. Higher cigarette prices were associated with a lower probability of past 30-day smoking participation among eighth graders in counties with < 100% T21 coverage (average marginal effect = −0.003, 95% confidence interval = −0.006, 0.000) but not among eighth graders in counties with 100% T21 coverage (average marginal effect = 0.001, 95% confidence interval = −0.001, 0.004) (p for interaction = 0.005). There were no associations with other smoking outcomes or grades or evidence of differential associations by sociodemographic factors. Our findings suggested that higher cigarette prices were associated with lower adolescent smoking among eighth graders living in counties with < 100% T21 coverage. However, no such association was observed in other grades or smoking outcomes. Further investigation is necessary to determine the best combination of policies to reduce adolescent smoking, related sociodemographic disparities, and the use of other tobacco products in areas with fewer tobacco control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Flavorings in cigars increase their appeal, mask the harsh taste of tobacco, and may hinder successful cigar smoking cessation; however, limited evidence has examined whether flavors are associated with short- or long-term cigar smoking cessation. Aims and Methods Using restricted data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Waves 1–5, we examined whether flavored cigar use was associated with 30-day-plus and 1-year-plus cigar smoking cessation among US adults. Multivariable discrete-time survival models were fit to a nationally representative sample of US adult (18+) respondents who had a current, established cigar use, smoked five or more days in the past 30 days, and did not exclusively smoke traditional premium cigars at baseline. Models adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, cigar and cigarette smoking intensity, and blunt use. Results At baseline, 44.6% of respondents (n = 674) were 18–34 years old, 75.0% were male, 56.7% were non-Hispanic White, 78.9% had household incomes of <$50,000, and 56.2% smoked flavored cigars. In fully adjusted models, flavored cigar use was associated with a lower risk of 30-day-plus (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.60, 0.97) but not 1-year-plus cigar smoking cessation (HR = 0.81, 95% = 0.62, 1.05). Conclusions We found that flavored cigar use was associated with a lower risk of short-term but not long-term cigar smoking cessation. More work is needed to understand the dynamics of cigar smoking transitions, including initiation, cessation, and relapse, particularly in larger cohorts and among those who exclusively use cigars or dual-use cigars and cigarettes. Implications As local and some state jurisdictions continue to adopt partial or complete bans of flavored cigar products and the United States Food and Drug Administration considers a national ban of all characterizing flavors in cigars, there is a need for more longitudinal work examining the associations between flavorings in cigars and short and long-term cigar-smoking behaviors, including but not limited to initiation, cessation, intensity of use, and relapse, particularly in diverse cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To help offset the increased price of cigarettes and promote brand loyalty, tobacco companies distribute coupons, particularly to price-sensitive consumers. Few studies, however, have examined the longitudinal association between coupon receipt and smoking cessation.Methods: Using adult data from Waves 1-5 (2013-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, we examined the longitudinal association between coupon receipt and short-term smoking cessation. Multivariable discrete time survival models were fit to an unbalanced person-period dataset for adult respondents (18+) with current established smoking status at baseline (person n=9472, risk period n=29,784). Short-term smoking cessation was measured as discontinued cigarette use (no past 30-day cigarette use at follow-up) and self-reported complete quitting. Coupon receipt was measured as a time-varying exposure, measured in the wave preceding the outcome. Tobacco dependence and time-varying cigarette use intensity were controlled as potential confounders. Effect modification by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and education was assessed by examining interaction terms.Results: We found that adults who received a coupon were 19% less likely to quit smoking compared to adults who did not receive a coupon, adjusting for covariates (adjusted hazard rate (aHR): 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74-0.89). None of the interaction terms were statistically significant, suggesting that the association between coupon receipt and short-term smoking cessation may not differ across the sociodemographic groups that we examined.Conclusions: Taken together, our results reveal that coupon receipt reduces the likelihood of short-term smoking cessation, and that this association does not differ by age, sex, race/ethnicity, or education.Implications: Tobacco companies distribute coupons for tobacco products to price-sensitive customers in the US, and these coupons can be particularly effective in partly offsetting the impact of a tax increases and promoting brand loyalty. This study provides longitudinal evidence that coupon receipt is associated with a decrease in short-term smoking cessation among US adults who smoke cigarettes after adjusting for covariates and tobacco-related confounders. The findings from this study suggest that coupons are an effective tool for tobacco companies to prevent adults who smoke from quitting, and a national ban on coupons may help to facilitate smoking cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The cardiovascular health effects of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use are not well characterized, making it difficult to assess ENDS as a potential harm reduction tool for adults who use cigarettes. Aims and Methods Using waves 1–5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2013–2019), we analyzed the risk of self-reported incident diagnosed myocardial infarction (MI; 280 incident cases) and stroke (186 incident cases) associated with ENDS and/or cigarette use among adults aged 40 + using discrete time survival models. We employed a time-varying exposure lagged by one wave, defined as exclusive or dual established use of ENDS and/or cigarettes every day or some days, and controlled for demographics, clinical factors, and past smoking history. Results The analytic samples (MI = 11 031; stroke = 11 076) were predominantly female and non-Hispanic White with a mean age of 58 years. At baseline, 14.2% of respondents exclusively smoked cigarettes, 0.6% exclusively used ENDS, and 1.0% used both products. Incident MI and stroke were rare during follow-up (< 1% at each wave). Compared to no cigarette or ENDS use, exclusive cigarette use increased the risk of MI (aHR 1.99, 95% CI = 1.40–2.84) and stroke (aHR 2.26, 95% CI = 1.51–3.39), while exclusive ENDS use (MI: aHR 0.61, 95% CI = 0.12–3.04; stroke: aHR 1.74, 95% CI = 0.55–5.49) and dual use (MI: aHR 1.84, 95% CI = 0.64–5.30; stroke: aHR 1.12, 95% CI = 0.33–3.79) were not significantly associated with the risk of either outcome. Conclusions Compared to non-use, exclusive cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of self-reported incident diagnosed cardiovascular disease over a 5-year period, while ENDS use was not associated with a statistically significant increase in the outcomes. Implications Existing literature on the health effects of ENDS use has important limitations, including potential reverse causation and improper control for cigarette smoking. We accounted for these issues by using a prospective design and adjusting for current and former smoking status and cigarette pack-years. In this context, we did not find that ENDS use was associated with a statistically significant increase in self-reported incident diagnosed myocardial infarction or stroke over a 5-year period. While more studies are needed, this analysis provides an important foundation and key methodological considerations for future research on the health effects of ENDS use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the increasing changes in tobacco use patterns, "current use" definition and the survey used may have important implications for monitoring population use trends.Methods: Using three US surveys (2014/15 TUS-CPS, NHIS and PATH), we compared the adult (age 18+) prevalence of four product groups (cigarettes, other combustibles, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes) based on three past 30-day frequency of use thresholds: 1+, 10+, and 25+ days. We also examined mutually exclusive single, dual, and polytobacco users as a percentage of total users for each product group.Results: Regardless of threshold or product, the prevalence was higher in PATH followed by NHIS and TUS-CPS, in some cases by large percentages. The differences in cigarette and smokeless tobacco use prevalence in going from the 1+ to 10+ days and to the 25+ days threshold were minimal. Applying different frequency thresholds had the largest impact on other combustibles prevalence, with a 60% reduction with the 10+ days threshold and a 80% reduction with the 25+ days threshold, compared to the 1+ days threshold, followed by e-cigarettes with 40 and 60% reductions, respectively. The proportion of dual and polytobacco users decreased considerably when using the 10+ vs. the 1+ days threshold and polytobacco use was almost non-existent with the 25+ days threshold.Conclusion: The estimated prevalence of each tobacco product use depends largely on the survey and frequency of use threshold adopted. The choice of survey and frequency threshold merits serious consideration when monitoring patterns of tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Association between cigar use, with and without cigarettes, and incident diagnosed COPD: a longitudinal cohort study." The correction notice states that the author's name James H. Buszkiewicz was incorrectly written as James Buskiewicz in the original article. The author group has been updated and the original article has been corrected. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The authors of the article are Steven Cook, James H. Buszkiewicz, David T. Levy, Rafael Meza, and Nancy L. Fleischer. [Extracted from the article]

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Background: The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, banned characterizing flavors in cigarettes; however, mentholated tobacco products were exempt. Since 2009, over 20 US jurisdictions and numerous countries around the world have extended this restriction to menthol. Currently, the FDA is reconsidering its position on a nation-wide menthol cigarette ban. However, the effects of such a ban remain unclear. We conducted a scoping review to explore the impact of a menthol cigarette ban on individual behaviors (initiation, cessation, and product switching), sales, and compliance.Methods: We conducted a search of the international literature using PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science (to November 25, 2019). We retrieved articles relevant to the impacts of an implemented or hypothetical menthol ban. We also included studies of flavored tobacco product bans due to their potential relevance in gauging compliance and product substitutability.Results: The search identified 493 articles, of which 24 were included. Studies examined the effects of implemented menthol bans (n = 6), hypothetical menthol bans (n = 12) and implemented flavor bans that exclude menthol (n = 6). Menthol bans were found to reduce sales and increase smoking cessation with only partial substitution for non-menthol cigarettes. US smokers' reactions to a hypothetical ban indicate that about 25-64% would attempt to quit smoking and 11-46% would consider switching to other tobacco products, including 15-30% to e-cigarettes. Flavor ban studies indicate reductions in initiation of 6%. Ban compliance was high, but studies indicate that the tobacco industry and retailers have attempted to circumvent their impact via packaging changes and online sales.Conclusion: Our review finds that extending the US cigarette flavor ban to menthol products would promote smoking cessation and reduce initiation. This evidence supports further action by the FDA towards mentholated tobacco products. However, few studies have been conducted in the vaping era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relationship between ENDS use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory conditions is critical. However, most previous studies have not fully adjusted for cigarette smoking history. Using Waves 1–5 of the U.S. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study, the association between ENDS use and self-reported incident COPD was examined among adults aged 40+ years using discrete-time survival models. Current ENDS use was measured as a time-varying covariate, lagged by 1 wave, defined as established daily or some days of use. Multivariable models were adjusted for baseline demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education), health characteristics (asthma, obesity, exposure to second-hand smoke), and smoking history (smoking status and cigarette pack years). Data were collected between 2013 and 2019, and the analysis was conducted in 2021–2022. Incident COPD was self-reported by 925 respondents during the 5-year follow-up. Before adjusting for other covariates, time-varying ENDS use appeared to double COPD incidence risk (hazard ratio=1.98, 95% CI=1.44, 2.74). However, ENDS use was no longer associated with COPD (adjusted hazard ratio=1.10, 95% CI=0.78, 1.57) after adjusting for current cigarette smoking and cigarette pack years. ENDS use did not significantly increase the risk of self-reported incident COPD over a 5-year period once current smoking status and cigarette pack years were included. Cigarette pack years, by contrast, remained associated with a net increase in COPD incidence risk. These findings highlight the importance of using prospective longitudinal data and adequately controlling for cigarette smoking history to assess the independent health effects of ENDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ENDS use is highly prevalent among U.S. youth, and there is concern about its respiratory health effects. However, evidence from nationally representative longitudinal data is limited. Using youth (aged 12–17 years) data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, multilevel Poisson regression models were estimated to examine the association between ENDS use; cigarettes; and diagnosed bronchitis, pneumonia, or chronic cough. Current product use was lagged by 1 wave and categorized as (1) never/noncurrent use, (2) exclusive cigarette use, (3) exclusive ENDS use, and (4) dual ENDS/cigarette use. Multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity; parental education; asthma; BMI; cannabis use; secondhand smoke exposure; and household use of combustible products. Data analysis was conducted in 2022–2023. A total of 7.4% of respondents were diagnosed with bronchitis, pneumonia, or chronic cough at follow-up. In the multivariable model, exclusive cigarette use (incident rate ratio=1.85, 95% CI=1.29, 2.65), exclusive ENDS use (incident rate ratio=1.49, 95% CI=1.06, 2.08), and dual use (incident rate ratio=2.70, 95% CI=1.61, 3.50) were associated with a higher risk of diagnosed bronchitis, pneumonia, or chronic cough than never/noncurrent use. These results suggest that ENDS and cigarettes, used exclusively or jointly, increased the risk of diagnosed bronchitis, pneumonia, or chronic cough among U.S. youth. However, dual use was associated with the highest risk. Targeted policies aimed at continuing to reduce cigarette smoking and ENDS use among youth, especially among those with dual use, are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over half of US adults who smoke cigars use flavored cigars, illustrating their broad appeal; however, their long-term impact on cigar and cigarette use is unknown. Using restricted data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, we investigated cross-sectional patterns and longitudinal transition rates of unflavored and flavored cigar use with and without cigarettes among a nationally representative sample of US adults. Proportionally, more adults who used flavored cigars without or with cigarettes were younger and female. More adults with exclusive cigar use were non-Hispanic Black. More adults with dual use had lower educational attainment. The median number of cigars smoked daily and tobacco dependence was highest among adults who used flavored cigars with cigarettes. Only 14.6% of adults with exclusive flavored cigar use at Wave 1 continued their use to Wave 5, with most transitioning to non-current (46.4%) or exclusive cigarette use (22.9%). Likewise, 13.8% of adults with dual flavored cigar and cigarette use at Wave 1 continued their use to Wave 5, with 57.6% transitioning to exclusive cigarette use and 19.7% transitioning to non-current use. Comparatively, 72.9% of adults with exclusive cigarette use continued their use to Wave 5, while 23.6% transitioned to non-current use. Adult cigar use was less stable than cigarette use, particularly among those who use flavored cigars. Future research should investigate whether these transition patterns between flavored and unflavored cigar and cigarette use vary across sociodemographic groups and their potential long-term health implications. • Flavors broaden cigar appeal, but their impact on long-term tobacco use is unknown. • Proportionally, more adults who used flavored cigars were younger and female. • Cigar use was much less persistent than cigarette use over six years. • Flavors in cigars were not a major driver of cigar use or tobacco dependence. • Dual use of cigars and cigarettes was a substantial driver of tobacco dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A better understanding of how menthol cigarette flavoring and ENDS impact smoking initiation, cessation, and transitions between tobacco products could help elucidate the potential impact of a U.S. menthol ban on combustible tobacco products.Methods: A multistate transition model was applied to data on 23,232 adults from Waves 1-4 (2013-2017) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (analysis was conducted in 2020-2021). Transition rates among never, noncurrent, nonmenthol versus menthol cigarette, ENDS, and dual everyday/someday use were estimated, as were transition-specific hazard ratios for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and income.Results: Non-Hispanic Blacks who smoked menthol discontinued smoking at a much lower rate than those who smoked nonmenthol (hazard ratio=0.43, 95% CI=0.29, 0.64), but there was no statistically significant difference in the discontinuation rates among non-Hispanic Whites (hazard ratio=0.97, 95% CI=0.80, 1.16) or Hispanics (hazard ratio=0.81, 95% CI=0.56, 1.16). Non-Hispanic Whites who smoked menthol were more likely to become dual users than those who smoked nonmenthol (hazard ratio=1.43, 95% CI=1.14, 1.80). Young adults initiated menthol smoking at a higher rate than older adults (age 18-24 years versus ≥55 years: hazard ratio=2.45, 95% CI=1.44, 4.15) but not nonmenthol smoking (hazard ratio=1.02, 95% CI=0.62, 1.69). There were differences by sex in the impact of menthol flavor on smoking initiation and discontinuation but little difference by education or income.Conclusions: Sociodemographic differences in product transitions should be accounted for when estimating the potential impact of a menthol ban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the respiratory health effects of dual (two products) and polytobacco (three or more products) use among youth in the United States. Thus, we followed a longitudinal cohort of youth into adulthood using data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, examining incident asthma at each follow-up (Waves 2–5). We classified past 30-day tobacco use as 1) no products (never/former use), 2) exclusive cigarettes, 3) exclusive electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), 4) exclusive other combustible (OC) tobacco products (cigars, hookah, pipe), 5) dual cigarettes/OC and ENDS, 6) dual cigarettes and OCs, and 7) polytobacco use (cigarettes, OCs, and ENDS). Using discrete time survival models, we analyzed the incidence of asthma across Waves 2–5, predicted by time-varying tobacco use lagged by one wave, and adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Asthma was reported by 574 of the 9141 respondents, with an average annual incidence of 1.44% (range 0.35% to 2.02%, Waves 2–5). In adjusted models, exclusive cigarette use (HR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.11–2.64) and dual cigarette and OC use (HR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.65–4.70) were associated with incident asthma compared to never/former use, while exclusive ENDS use (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 0.92–2.44) and polytobacco use (HR: 1.95, 95% CI: 0.86–4.44) were not. To conclude, youth who use cigarettes with or without OCs had higher risk of incident asthma. Further longitudinal studies on the respiratory health effects of ENDS and dual/polytobacco use are needed as products continue to evolve. • Over five years, the average annual hazard of asthma was 1.44%. • Youth who exclusively used cigarettes (vs. never/former use) had higher risk for incident asthma. • Dual use of cigarettes and other combustibles (vs. never/former use) was associated with incident asthma. • Electronic nicotine delivery systems use (vs. never/former use) was not associated with incident asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]