‘It has candy. You need to press on it’: young adults’ perceptions of flavoured cigarettes in the Philippines

Abstract

BackgroundThe Philippines has a high smoking prevalence and one of the largest tobacco menthol market shares in the world. Flavour capsule cigarettes were introduced to the Philippines in 2013, most of which are menthol flavoured, and their market share is increasing. We explored perceptions of flavoured cigarette packaging among young adult Filipinos.MethodsWe conducted eight focus groups with 63 young adults ages 18–24 years in Manila in 2019, stratified by gender and smoking status. We conducted a thematic analysis of the transcripts.ResultsMost participants assessed relative harm of cigarettes based on strength, mainly determined by colour of the packaging. Menthol cigarettes with primarily blue packaging were considered less harmful than menthol cigarettes with primarily green packaging. Many participants considered flavour capsule packs most attractive, compared with non-flavoured and traditional menthol cigarettes, due to the colouring of the packs and expectations regarding taste. Some participants likened the capsules and the taste of flavour capsule cigarettes to candy, and many participants thought flavour capsule cigarettes would most likely be smoked by teenagers or young adults.ConclusionsYoung adult Filipinos believe that some menthol-flavoured cigarettes are less harmful than other flavoured cigarettes and non-flavoured cigarettes and find flavour capsule cigarettes attractive. A tobacco flavour ban and implementation of plain packaging might help reduce misperceptions of risk and make cigarettes less appealing.

Feminine Appeals on Cigarette Packs Sold in 14 Countries

“…It may be that a similar trend toward less explicitly feminine and more gender non-specific branding and technologies (e.g., flavor capsules) that contain features that appeal to men and women equally is also taking place in the LMICs included in this study. Emerging evidence suggests that women in several LMICs are more likely than men to prefer cigarette packs with flavor capsules [ 56 , 57 ], although both groups find capsule packs appealing [ 56 , 58 ]. This corresponds to cross-cultural research in 10 countries, which included India, China, Russia, and Brazil, that suggests brands that have equally high levels of masculine and feminine appeals (referred to as gender androgenous ) have greater reported brand value vs. brands that are exclusively feminine or exclusively masculine [ 59 ].…”

Cross-sectional survey of flavored cigarette use among adult smokers in Singapore

“…Flavored cigarettes, especially those with menthol flavor, encourage smoking initiation as they mask the harshness of tobacco smoke [5][6][7][8][9][10] , are sold in novelty flavors that appeal to young people [17][18][19][20][21][22][23] , and may be perceived as less harmful [13][14][15][16] . Among our Singapore respondents, flavored cigarette users were more likely to prefer their brand for the cheaper price and, at initiation, for the novelty, smell, taste, and smoothness on the airways.…”

“…Tobacco flavor bans came in response to evidence which consistently shows that tobacco flavors, especially menthol, encourage smoking initiation [5][6][7][8][9][10] , increase the addictiveness of cigarettes 11,12 , and mislead people into thinking cigarettes are less harmful [13][14][15][16] . More recently, evidence from numerous countries has also illustrated the popularity of capsule cigarettes among young people owing to their novelty appeal, youthful designs, and wide variety of flavors [17][18][19][20][21][22][23] .Singapore is a developed city-state in South-East ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Singapore, a city-state with a multi-ethnic Asian population, has one of the world's largest market shares for cigarettes with added flavors, such as menthol and fruit, which increase the appeal of smoking. Little is known on the sociodemographic or smoking-related traits associated with flavored cigarette use in the Asian context.…”

The tobacco endgame—eradicating a worsening epidemic

“… 21 In the Philippines, where menthol cigarette use is high, cigarettes with flavour capsules have become increasingly popular. 22 Today, roughly half of all US youth who smoke cigarettes report using menthol cigarettes, 23 and an estimated 86% of Black smokers and 46% of Hispanic smokers smoke menthol cigarettes compared with only 29% of White smokers. Countries should follow the lead of the European Union, which has prohibited the sale of menthol cigarettes through the EU Tobacco Products Directive.…”