Food and Drug Administration tobacco regulation and product judgments.
BACKGROUND
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act granted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products in the U.S. However, little is known about how regulation may be related to judgments about tobacco product-related risks.


OBJECTIVE
To understand how FDA tobacco regulation beliefs are associated with judgments about tobacco product-related risks.


METHODS
The Health Information National Trends Survey is a national survey of the U.S. adult population. Data used in this analysis were collected from October 2012 through January 2013 (N=3,630) by mailed questionnaire and analyzed in 2013. Weighted bivariate chi-square analyses were used to assess associations among FDA regulation belief, tobacco harm judgments, sociodemographics, and smoking status. A weighted multinomial logistic regression was conducted where FDA regulation belief was regressed on tobacco product judgments, controlling for sociodemographic variables and smoking status.


RESULTS
About 41% believed that the FDA regulates tobacco products in the U.S., 23.6% reported the FDA does not, and 35.3% did not know. Chi-square analyses showed that smoking status was significantly related to harm judgments about electronic cigarettes (p<0.0001). The multinomial logistic regression revealed that uncertainty about FDA regulation was associated with tobacco product harm judgment uncertainty.


CONCLUSIONS
Tobacco product harm perceptions are associated with beliefs about tobacco product regulation by the FDA. These findings suggest the need for increased public awareness and understanding of the role of tobacco product regulation in protecting public health.
Tobacco Control Research Branch. Electronic address: kaufmana@mail.nih.gov.
Annette R
AR
Kaufman
Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Rochester, Minnesota.
Lila J
LJ
Finney Rutten
Tobacco Control Research Branch.
Mark
M
Parascandola
Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland.
Kelly D
KD
Blake
Tobacco Control Research Branch.
Erik M
EM
Augustson
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D033161:Government Regulation; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D062789:Tobacco Products; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration