FDA Center for Tobacco Products: Tobacco Research and the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study

Who Purchases Tobacco Online? Findings from Waves 1 and 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Tobacco Regulatory Science ◽

10.18001/trs.7.3.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 155-169

Author(s):

Jessica L. King ◽

Julie W. Merten ◽

Nicole E. Nicksic

Keyword(s):

Black Youth ◽

Health Study ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Population Assessment ◽

Factors Associated ◽

The Us

Objectives: We examined the prevalence of and factors associated with usually purchasing tobacco online. Methods: We analyzed Waves 1 (2013-14) and 4 (2016-17) of the US Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health adult (18+) and youth (12-17) studies: 15,450 adults and 495 youth in 2013-14 and 15,037 adults and 465 youth in 2016-17. Z-tests compared the prevalence of usually purchasing tobacco online between waves and weighted multivariable regressions identified associations between purchasing online and sociodemographics. Results: The prevalence of usually purchasing tobacco online increased from 2.5% to 3.3% among adults (p < .05) and from 2.5% to 4.4% among youth (p < .05), generalizing to a US population of 2,000,000 adults and 35,000 youth. E-cigarettes and cigars and e-cigarettes and waterpipe tobacco were the most common products among adults and youth, respectively. Men, adults with greater education, adults with higher income, and non-Hispanic black youth had greater odds of purchasing tobacco online (p < .05). Conclusions: Usually purchasing tobacco online remains low, although ever purchasing was not assessed. Efforts should be made to expand Internet tobacco purchasing surveillance and extend and enforce restrictions broadly across tobacco products to reduce youth access.

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4219 Discrepancies in flavor preferences among adult ever users of various tobacco products in the US – Findings from The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2015-2016)

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2020.175 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (s1) ◽

pp. 47-48

Author(s):

Liane M Schneller ◽

Dongmei Li ◽

Zahíra Quiñones-Tavárez ◽

Maciej Goniewicz ◽

Amanda Quisenberry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Conflict Of Interest ◽

The Other ◽

Health Study ◽

Flavor Preference ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Population Assessment ◽

Study Results ◽

Research Grant ◽

Flavored Tobacco

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Flavorings differ between brands and tobacco products, potentially altering the sensory perceptions. This study aimed to examine discrepancies in flavor preference across various non-cigarette tobacco products among a national representative sample of US adult regular tobacco users. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3 (W3) were used. Weighted prevalence of flavor preference for various tobacco products, including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), traditional cigars, cigarillos/filtered cigars, hookah and snus/smokeless, was presented for 9,037 adult current and new former users of multiple flavored tobacco products. Within-subject flavor discrepancies were assessed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) models considering the complex sampling design of the PATH study. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Most regular users of a flavored tobacco products reported using one flavor category per product. Fruit flavors, followed by tobacco, were the most common flavor categories among ENDS (32% and 25%, respectively) and hookah users (44% and 36%, respectively). Tobacco flavor was the most common among regular users of traditional cigars (80%), cigarillos/filtered cigars (55%), and smokeless tobacco (79%). Polytobacco users of ENDS and traditional cigars had the largest discrepancy, where about 68-76%% used different flavor categories when switching products. Conversely, polytobacco users of traditional cigars and cigarillos/filtered cigars had the lowest discrepancy (23-25%). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Many consumers of multiple tobacco products had different flavor preferences when switching between products. In the event of a partial or full flavor ban for ENDS, these findings raise questions about consumer loyalty to a particular tobacco product or a particular flavor category. Conflict of Interest Description: MLG serves as a paid consultant for Johnson & Johnson and has received research grant from Pfizer, manufacturers of smoking cessation medications. The other authors have no conflicts to declare. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DESCRIPTION: MLG serves as a paid consultant for Johnson & Johnson and has received research grant from Pfizer, manufacturers of smoking cessation medications. The other authors have no conflicts to declare.

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Age of Onset of Susceptibility to Different Tobacco Products Among Non-Susceptible US Young Adults: Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Waves 2-4 (2014-2017)

Tobacco Use Insights ◽

10.1177/1179173x211065643 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 1179173X2110656

Author(s):

Adriana Pérez ◽

Meagan A. Bluestein ◽

Arnold E. Kuk ◽

Baojiang Chen ◽

Kymberle L. Sterling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Young Adult ◽

Smokeless Tobacco ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

Tobacco Product ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Population Assessment ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Interval Censored ◽

Race Ethnicity

Introduction Initiation of tobacco products is increasing in young adulthood. This study prospectively estimated the age of onset of susceptibility to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, smokeless tobacco, and cigarillos among young adults, which is a cognitive precursor to initiation. Methods Secondary data analyses of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study of US adults. Young adults (18-24 years) who were non-susceptible to each tobacco product (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, smokeless tobacco, and cigarillos) at waves 2 or 3 were followed-up into waves 3-4 to prospectively estimate the age of onset of susceptibility to each tobacco product. Weighted interval-censored survival methods and interval-censored Cox regression models were implemented to estimate the age of onset of susceptibility, and to estimate differences in the hazard function by sex and by race/ethnicity, while controlling for the total number of other tobacco products ever used at their first wave of participation in PATH. Results By age 21, 16.5%, 16.0%, 12.6%, 12.4%, and 5.9% of young adults reported onset of susceptibility to hookah, e-cigarettes, cigarillos, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco, respectively. Among young adults who were non-susceptible to each tobacco product at waves 2 or 3, the highest increase in onset of susceptibility occurred between ages 18 and 19 for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and hookah, while the highest increase in onset of susceptibility occurs between ages 22 and 23 for cigarillos. Young adult males had increased risk of onset of susceptibility to cigarillos and smokeless tobacco at earlier ages than young adult females. Differences in onset of susceptibility to each tobacco product were also observed by race/ethnicity among young adults. Conclusions With the changing landscape of tobacco products, monitoring the age of onset of susceptibility of tobacco product use among non-susceptible young adults longitudinally is critical to prevent initiation. Communication and education campaigns tailored to address differences in susceptibility among young adults by tobacco product and sociodemographic factors will be useful.

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4179 Use of tobacco products and their association with wheezing among adult current tobacco users in the US – Findings from The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2015-2016)

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2020.188 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (s1) ◽

pp. 52-52

Author(s):

Liane M Schneller ◽

Zahíra Quiñones-Tavárez ◽

Maciej Goniewicz ◽

Zidian Xie ◽

Scott McIntosh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Symptoms ◽

Population Data ◽

Health Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Population Assessment ◽

Current Cigarette ◽

Us Findings ◽

Noxious Chemicals ◽

Current Tobacco

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Wheezing has been shown to be associated with use of cigarettes, and more recently, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). This study assessed the association of poly use of tobacco products with wheezing among a national representative sample of US adult current tobacco users. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3 (W3) were used. Weighted prevalences of self-reported wheezing and related respiratory symptoms for non-users compared to users of cigarettes, ENDS, cigars, and any combination of these products (poly use of tobacco products) were presented for 28,082 adults. The cross-sectional association of tobacco use with self-reported wheezing and other related respiratory symptoms was assessed using weighted multivariable and ordinal logistic regression with consideration of complex sampling design. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Most adults who reported on wheezing symptoms did not currently use cigarettes, ENDS or cigars (79%), 15% used cigarettes, 3% used a combination of cigarettes, ENDS and cigars, 1% used ENDS, and 1% used cigars. Significantly higher odds of ever had wheezing or whistling in chest at any time in the past was observed among current cigarette (adjusted OR: 2.62, 95%CI: 2.35, 2.91), ENDS (1.49, 95%CI: 1.14, 1.95), and poly users (2.67, 95%CI: 2.26, 3.16) compared to non-users. No differences were seen for cigar use. Polytobacco use was associated with a higher odds of ever wheezing when compared to ENDS (1.61, 95%CI: 1.19, 2.17) and cigar use (2.87, 95%CI: 1.93, 4.26), but not cigarettes. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Wheezing is associated with the use of cigarettes, ENDS, or any combination of cigarette, ENDS and cigars likely due to the inhalation of noxious chemicals and gases found in the smoke of cigarettes and ENDS that are likely to increase the odds of experiencing wheezing. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DESCRIPTION: MLG serves as a paid consultant for Johnson & Johnson and has received research grant from Pfizer, manufacturers of smoking cessation medications. The other authors have no conflicts to declare.

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Flavor Inconsistencies between Flavored Tobacco Products among US Adults

American Journal of Health Behavior ◽

10.5993/ajhb.44.5.6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 617-630

Author(s):

Liane M. Schneller ◽

Dongmei Li ◽

Zahíra Quiñones Tavárez ◽

Maciej L. Goniewicz ◽

Amanda J. Quisenberry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Consumer Preferences ◽

Health Study ◽

Future Research ◽

Flavor Preference ◽

Cigarette Tobacco ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Population Assessment ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Flavored Tobacco

Objective: Banning flavors in some tobacco products, while allowing them in others, may shift consumer preferences towards products in which flavors are still allowed. In this study, we examine flavor popularity and inconsistencies in flavor preference across non-cigarette tobacco products among US adults. Methods: We used data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Wave 3 to assess the prevalence of flavor preference for users of non-cigarette tobacco products (N = 9037), as well as flavor inconsistencies between products among polyusers (N = 3183). Results: Most users of flavored tobacco products reported using one flavor category per product. Fruit and tobacco were among the most commonly used flavor categories of ENDS, hookah, traditional cigars, and cigarillo/filtered cigars. Menthol/mint was the most common flavor among snus/smokeless users. Polyusers of ENDS and traditional cigars had the largest inconsistency, where about 68%-76% used different flavors across products. Conversely, polyusers of traditional cigars and cigarillos/filtered cigars had the lowest inconsistency (25%-28%). Conclusions: Flavor preferences differed according to product, suggesting that consumers are not likely to switch across products to maintain a flavor preference. Future research should assess flavor preferences prospectively to improve understanding of the potential benefits of flavor bans.

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Youth Access to Tobacco Products in the United States: Findings From Wave 1 (2013–2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/nty238 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 1695-1699 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Susanne Tanski ◽

Jennifer Emond ◽

Cassandra Stanton ◽

Thomas Kirchner ◽

Kelvin Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Electronic Cigarettes ◽

The United States ◽

Tobacco Product ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Population Assessment ◽

Gas Stations ◽

Usual Source ◽

Convenience Stores ◽

The Us

Abstract Objectives Tobacco products in the US market are growing in diversity. Little is known about how youth access tobacco products given this current landscape. Methods Data were drawn from 15- to 17-year-olds from the Wave 1 youth sample of the US nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Past 30-day tobacco users were asked about usual sources of access to 12 different tobacco products, and if they had been refused sale because of their age. Results Among 15- to 17-year-olds, social sources (“someone offered” or “asked someone”) were the predominant usual source of access for each tobacco product. “Bought by self” was the usual source of access for users of smokeless (excluding snus, 23.2%), cigarillos (21.0%), cigarettes (13.8%), hookah (12.0%), and electronic cigarettes (10.5%). Convenience stores and/or gas stations were the most often selected retail source for all products except hookah. Among youth who attempted purchase, 24.3% were refused sale of cigarettes, 23.9% cigarillos, and 13.8% smokeless tobacco. Conclusions Most 15- to 17-year-old tobacco users obtain tobacco products through social sources; however, among those who purchased tobacco, the majority report not being refused sale because of age. At the time of survey, cigarette and cigar sales to under 18 years were prohibited in all 50 states, and electronic cigarettes sales in 47 states and two territories. 2014 Annual Synar Reports signaled increasing trends in retail violations of state and/or district laws prohibiting tobacco product sales to under 18 years. Monitoring illicit youth sales, conducting compliance check inspections, and penalizing violations remain important to reduce youth tobacco access at retail venues. Implications Access to the spectrum of tobacco products by youth in the United States remains predominantly through social sources. However, of the minority of youth tobacco users in 2014 who purchased tobacco themselves, a few reported being refused sale: Convenience stores and/or gas stations were the most common retail source for tobacco products. The strategies of monitoring illicit youth sales, conducting compliance checks, and penalizing violations remain important to reduce youth tobacco access at retail venues. Limiting sources of youth tobacco access remains an important focus to reduce the burden of tobacco on the public health.

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