Introduction

Menthol cigarettes were banned in Ontario, Canada on January 1st, 2017. We used concept mapping, a mixed-method approach, to describe how menthol cigarette smokers quit smoking after the Ontario menthol ban.

Methods

Pre-ban daily and non-daily menthol cigarette smokers who reported smoking abstinence 24 months after the ban (n = 62; 53.2% women; mean age = 43.6, SD = 12.5) generated statements describing reasons and strategies for smoking cessation/reduction after the menthol ban. Participants sorted a final list of 57 statements into groups of similar content and rated statements on how true each statement was for them and multidimensional scaling analysis identified thematic clusters.

Results

Six clusters were identified: Mental and Environment Changes, Direct Ban Impacts, Health Reasons, Cues to Action, Family and Friends, and Cessation Strategies. The highest rated statements (i.e., most true) suggested many participants were motivated to quit smoking before or after the ban and 30.7% of participants believed the menthol ban helped with smoking cessation. Some of the lowest rated statements included using nicotine replacement therapy products, medication (i.e., Champix), or other tobacco products suggesting these strategies were less common. Statement ratings suggested many smokers quit without using replacement products or medication, but modifying cognitions and avoiding smoking cues were common.

Conclusions

The menthol ban aided some menthol smokers to quit, while others reported the ban did not play a role in smoking cessation. These data suggest the menthol ban had direct and indirect effects on smoking reduction behavior. Campaigns supporting similar bans that target both types of effects will likely be most effective for smoking reduction.

中文翻译：

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薄荷醇禁令后前薄荷醇卷烟吸烟者使用的戒烟策略

介绍

薄荷醇卷烟于 2017 年 1 月 1 日在加拿大安大略省被禁止使用。我们使用概念图这种混合方法来描述薄荷醇卷烟吸食者在安大略省薄荷醇禁令后如何戒烟。

方法

禁令前 24 个月后报告戒烟的每日和非每日薄荷醇卷烟吸烟者（n = 62；53.2% 女性；平均年龄 = 43.6，SD = 12.5）生成了描述戒烟/减少吸烟的原因和策略的陈述薄荷醇禁令。参与者将 57 条陈述的最终列表分类为内容相似的组，并对每条陈述对他们的真实性进行评级，多维尺度分析确定了主题集群。

结果

确定了六个集群：心理和环境变化、直接禁令影响、健康原因、行动提示、家人和朋友以及戒烟策略。评分最高的陈述（即最真实的陈述）表明许多参与者在禁令之前或之后都有戒烟的动机，并且 30.7% 的参与者认为薄荷醇禁令有助于戒烟。一些评分最低的陈述包括使用尼古丁替代疗法产品、药物（即 Champix）或其他烟草产品，表明这些策略不太常见。陈述评级表明许多吸烟者在没有使用替代产品或药物的情况下戒烟，但改变认知和避免吸烟的暗示很常见。

结论

薄荷醇禁令帮助一些薄荷醇吸烟者戒烟，而其他人则报告说该禁令在戒烟方面没有发挥作用。这些数据表明，薄荷醇禁令对减少吸烟行为有直接和间接的影响。支持针对这两种影响的类似禁令的运动可能对减少吸烟最有效。