National patterns and correlates of mentholated cigarette use in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the patterns and correlates of mentholated cigarette smoking among adult smokers in the United States.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data on adult current smokers (n = 63,193) were pooled from the 2003 and 2006/07 Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Survey.


METHODS
The associations between socio-demographic and smoking variables were examined with gender- and race/ethnicity-stratified multivariate logistic regression models predicting current use of mentholated cigarettes.


RESULTS
Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that black smokers were 10-11 times more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes than white smokers men: odds ratio (OR): 11.59, 99% confidence interval (CI): 9.79-13.72; women: OR: 10.12, 99% CI: 8.45-12.11). With the exception of American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo smokers, non-white smokers were significantly more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes than were white smokers. Additional significant factors associated with mentholated cigarette smoking included being unmarried (never married: OR: 1.21, 99% CI: 1.09-1.34; divorced/separated: OR: 1.13, 99% CI: 1.03-1.23), being born in a US territory (OR: 2.01, 99% CI: 1.35-3.01), living in a non-metropolitan area (OR: 0.87, 99% CI: 0.80-0.96), being unemployed (OR: 1.24, 99% CI: 1.06-1.44) and lower levels of education. Race/ethnicity-stratified analyses showed that women were more likely than men to smoke mentholated cigarettes. Among black smokers, young adults (aged 18-24 years) were four times more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes compared with individuals aged 65+.


CONCLUSIONS
Race/ethnicity, gender and age are significant correlates of mentholated cigarette smoking among current smokers. Given the importance of menthol in the cigarette market and the potential untoward health effects of this additive, continued surveillance of the prevalence and correlates of mentholated cigarette use among diverse socio-demographic groups is warranted to inform appropriate interventions.
National Cancer Institute, Tobacco Control Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. dlawrence@pinneyassociates.com
Deirdre
D
Lawrence
Allison
A
Rose
Pebbles
P
Fagan
Eric T
ET
Moolchan
James Todd
JT
Gibson
Cathy L
CL
Backinger
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008610:Menthol; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult; D001741:Black or African American
D008610:Menthol