‘Tobacco-free’ claims in tobacco product marketing in the United States

Seidenberg, Andrew B.; Kaufman, Annette

doi:10.1136/tc-2022-057700

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The US FDA and regulatory agencies globally should regulate synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes, including the language used to describe these products. Specifically, our study supports recommendations from other researchers to use ‘synthetic nicotine’ instead of ‘tobacco-free nicotine’ to describe nicotine that is not tobacco-derived 31…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Synthetic nicotine descriptors: awareness and impact on perceptions of e-cigarettes among US youth

Kowitt,

Seidenberg,

Gottfredson O’Shea

et al. 2023

Tob Control

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BackgroundElectronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are being advertised and sold with synthetic nicotine. Little research has examined youth awareness of synthetic nicotine or the impact of synthetic nicotine descriptors on perceptions of e-cigarettes.MethodsParticipants were a sample of 1603 US adolescents (aged 13–17 years) from a probability-based panel. The survey assessed knowledge of nicotine source in e-cigarettes (from ‘tobacco plants’ or ‘other sources besides tobacco plants’) and awareness of e-cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine. Then, in a between-subjects experiment with a 2×3 factorial design, we manipulated descriptors on e-cigarette products: (1) nicotine label (inclusion of the word ‘nicotine’: present or absent) and (2) source label (inclusion of a source: ‘tobacco-free’, ‘synthetic’ or absent).ResultsMost youth were either unsure (48.1%) or did not think (20.2%) that nicotine in e-cigarettes comes from tobacco plants; similarly, most were unsure (48.2%) or did not think (8.1%) that nicotine in e-cigarettes comes from other sources. There was low-to-moderate awareness of e-cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine (28.7%), with higher awareness among youth who use e-cigarettes (48.0%). While no main effects were observed, there was a significant three-way interaction between e-cigarette status and the experimental manipulations. The ‘tobacco-free nicotine’ descriptor increased purchase intentions relative to ‘synthetic nicotine’ (simple slope: 1.20, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.75) and ‘nicotine’ (simple slope: 1.20, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.73) for youth who use e-cigarettes.ConclusionsMost US youth do not know or have incorrect beliefs about the sources of nicotine in e-cigarettes and describing synthetic nicotine as ‘tobacco-free nicotine’ increases purchase intentions among youth who use e-cigarettes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Synthetic nicotine descriptors: awareness and impact on perceptions of e-cigarettes among US youth

Kowitt,

Seidenberg,

Gottfredson O’Shea

et al. 2023

Tob Control

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“…ONP marketing will be critical to whether adult cigarette smokers and SLT users try ONPs. ONP marketing emphasizes features such as nicotine content and co-promotes ONPs with PLOS ONE cigarettes to target cigarette smokers [10][11][12][34][35][36][37][38][39]. There is limited research on the effects of ONP marketing, including which features may impact the appeal of ONPs in adult tobacco users.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of oral nicotine pouches & their marketing among Ohio Appalachia smokers and smokeless tobacco users

Long,

Alalwan,

Keller-Hamilton

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Background Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) are novel products, gaining popularity and marketed as “tobacco-free” alternatives to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (SLT), but their public health impact is unknown. This study qualitatively examined ONP appeal and perceptions among cigarette smokers and SLT users from Ohio Appalachia. Methods In 2022, we conducted 10 virtual focus groups with smokers (n = 19) and smokeless tobacco users (n = 18) from Appalachia Ohio aged ≥21 to examine perceptions of risks and benefits, substitutability for cigarettes and SLT, and ONP marketing. We transcribed focus groups verbatim, thematically coded transcripts, and analyzed coded data for prominent themes. Results Participants perceived ONPs to have similar or less risk than cigarettes/SLT but prominently discussed gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risks. Addiction risk was thought to be comparable to cigarettes/SLT, citing “nicotine is nicotine.” Participants viewed ONPs to be situational rather than complete substitutes for cigarettes/SLT, viewing them as “cleaner,” more socially acceptable, and discrete. Despite appealing features of ONP marketing, participants surmised ads would appeal to youth, new users, tobacco users seeking to cut down/quit, or to “high class,” “white-collar” demographics. Conclusions Participants’ perceptions of ONPs and their marketing suggest ONPs are more likely to be used as situational versus complete substitutes for cigarettes and SLT. While situational substitution could exacerbate disparities in Appalachia by facilitating more frequent tobacco/nicotine use, complete substitution could reduce disparities. Research is needed to understand how perceptions, the appeal of ONP marketing, and novel product features translate to patterns of use to understand ONPs’ potential impact.

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“…Salt-based nicotine was introduced in 2015 and made popular in pod-style devices 17 . Synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes have emerged as an alternative to tobacco-derived nicotine vaping products and are marketed as containing ‘tobacco-free nicotine’, adding confusion and dubious claims of reduced risk in such products 18 . In response to the increased use of synthetic nicotine, US Congress passed a law that went into effect in April 2022, updating the Tobacco Control Act to include synthetic nicotine as a tobacco product and granting the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products containing nicotine from ‘any source’ 19 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating trends in recruitment challenges in vape shop research, e-cigarette product characteristics and use among shop customers from 2019 to 2023: A mixed-methods study

Huh,

Galimov,

Meza

et al. 2024

Tob. Induc. Dis.

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INTRODUCTION Brick-and-mortar vape shops specialize in the sale of e-cigarettes and remain a primary source for purchasing emerging e-cigarette products. New regulatory policies have been implemented at local-, state- and federal-level; the retail environment at vape shops and product preferences among vape shop customers shifted accordingly. METHODS From 2019 to 2023, we collected anonymous interview data from vape shop customers (n=572) from 83 vape shops in Southern California. We aggregated the data by month and treated each month as the unit of analysis to document changes in recruitment efforts among the vape shops in relation to major policy implementations over 4 years. We also examined the systematic fluctuations and trends in customers’ e-cigarette product preferences and nicotine content in these products. RESULTS The monthly average shop-level consent rate was 52.9% (SD=8.7), with an overall decreasing trend over time. It was necessary for our data collection team to approach a greater number of vape shops to obtain consent with implementation of various state and federal tobacco regulations and following COVID-19. We observed an increase in the purchase of disposable products and nicotine concentrations in the products, while the average use frequency remained the same. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrated that user preferences, product characteristics and challenges in research involving vape shops are closely associated to changes in regulations. We documented a dramatic increase in nicotine concentration in products. Future policies restricting the amount of nicotine in tobacco products at the federal level are necessary to protect consumers from further nicotine addiction. This study provides documentation over time of the drastic increases in nicotine concentration among e-cigarette users as a result of the fluctuations in the product market. Regulating nicotine content in tobacco products could safeguard against further unsafe modifications in e-cigarettes and other types of tobacco products.

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‘Tobacco-free’ claims in tobacco product marketing in the United States

Cited by 6 publications

References 14 publications

Synthetic nicotine descriptors: awareness and impact on perceptions of e-cigarettes among US youth

Synthetic nicotine descriptors: awareness and impact on perceptions of e-cigarettes among US youth

Perceptions of oral nicotine pouches & their marketing among Ohio Appalachia smokers and smokeless tobacco users

Evaluating trends in recruitment challenges in vape shop research, e-cigarette product characteristics and use among shop customers from 2019 to 2023: A mixed-methods study

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