title: Exploring Smoking Stigma, Alternative Tobacco Product Use, & Quit Attempts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Investigate smoking stigma among different tobacco user types.
  
  
  METHODS
  US adults (N=1,812) responded to an online survey, including non-smokers, smokeless tobacco users, exclusive smokers, and smokeless and cigarette "dual users".
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dual users perceived the highest smoking stigma. Stigma was higher for smokers open to quitting by switching to smokeless. E-cigarette users (smokers) reported higher stigma than non-users. Making a past-year quit attempt was predicted by smoking stigma, and smokeless and/or e-cigarette use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking stigma and dual use of smokeless tobacco and/or e-cigarettes with cigarettes predict quit attempts. However, smoking stigma might prevent smokers from consulting doctors and induce use of alternative tobacco products as cessation aids.
authors.affiliation: Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
authors.forename: Cati G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Brown-Johnson
authors.affiliation: Research Scholar, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Popova
keywords: : Smoking stigma; cessation; e-cigarettes; guilt; shame; smokeless tobacco