Characteristics of current and recent former smokers associated with the use of new potential reduced-exposure tobacco products.
OBJECTIVE
To identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with having tried a potentialy reduced-exposure tobacco product (PREP) and to compare the smoking and quitting behaviors and attitudes of smokers who have tried a PREP product with non-PREP users.


METHODS
Analysis is based on a sample of 43,419 current and recent former smokers from the 2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey.


RESULTS
Overall, PREP use is low (2.5%). Current daily and someday only smokers have higher rates of use (2.9% and 2.4%, respectively) compared with former smokers (1.5%). PREP use is higher in southern states and among younger smokers, non-Hispanic Whites, and those with some college education. Smokers who have tried a PREP product are more likely to smoke light or ultra-light cigarettes, report more symptoms of nicotine dependence, smoke more cigarettes per day, report a higher number of quit attempts, and seek quitting assistance from pharmacotherapy and behavioral therapies compared with non-PREP users.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support the concern that current smokers who are highly dependent yet motivated to quit smoking may seek PREPs as an alternative strategy to smoking cessation.
Parascandola
Mark
M
Tobacco Control Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. paramark@mail.nih.gov
Augustson
Erik
E
Rose
Allison
A
D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult