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Industry responds to Australia’s disposable vape import ban with cheap alternatives and encouraging illegal imports Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Coral E Gartner
Banning disposable vapes is a policy that is targeted at the vaping products that are most popular with young people who do not smoke. Disposable vapes also generate a large volume of plastic and hazardous waste that is not easy to recycle. Australia’s import ban on disposable vapes started 1 January 2024.1 While retailers are permitted to sell down their existing stock, it is apparent that some Australian
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Oral nicotine product marketing expenditures in the USA from 2016 to 2023: trends over time by brand and targeted media outlets Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Jenny E Ozga, Jennifer Cornacchione Ross, Mary Hrywna, Akshika Sharma, Pamela M Ling, Cassandra A Stanton
Background Oral nicotine products (ONPs) are increasing in sales, availability and flavours. In April 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) obtained regulatory authority over non-tobacco nicotine products, which include many ONPs. Advertising practices for ONPs need monitoring to understand marketing strategies and inform FDA marketing authorisation decisions. Methods ONP advertisement (ad)
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Smoking prevalence and purchasing of menthol cigarettes since the menthol flavour ban in Great Britain: a population-based survey between 2020 and 2023 Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Vera Helen Buss, Harry Tattan-Birch, Sharon Cox, Linda Bauld, Lion Shahab, Jamie Brown
Background Menthol cigarettes have been banned in Great Britain (GB) since May 2020. Still, menthol accessories and unlabelled cigarettes perceived as mentholated are available, and people can buy menthol cigarettes overseas or illicitly. This study assessed: trends in smoking menthol cigarettes among all adults and 18–24-year-olds in GB between October 2020 and March 2023; trends in and differences
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Effects of liquid nicotine concentration and flavour on the acceptability of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among people who smoke participating in a randomised controlled trial to reduce cigarette consumption Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Jessica Yingst, Vishal Midya, Augustus White, Jonathan Foulds, Caroline O Cobb, Susan Veldheer, Miao-Shan Yen, Thomas Eissenberg
Background Research is needed to understand the acceptability of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as a smoking reduction aid. This study examines the acceptability of ENDS by liquid nicotine concentration and flavour among people who smoke using ENDS to reduce their smoking. Methods People who smoke cigarettes but were naïve to ENDS participated in a double-blind randomised controlled trial
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Association between tobacco industry denormalisation beliefs and support for tobacco endgame policies: a population-based study in Hong Kong Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Ying Yao, Yee Tak Derek Cheung, Yongda Socrates Wu, Ziqiu Guo, Sik Kwan Chan, Sheng Zhi Zhao, Henry Sau Chai Tong, Vienna Wai Yin Lai, Tai Hing Lam, Sai Yin Ho, Man Ping Wang
Objectives To examine the associations between tobacco industry denormalisation (TID) beliefs and support for tobacco endgame policies. Methods A total of 2810 randomly selected adult respondents of population-based tobacco policy-related surveys (2018–2019) were included. TID beliefs (agree vs disagree/unsure) were measured by seven items: tobacco manufacturers ignore health, induce addiction, hide
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Systematic review and meta-analysis of text messaging interventions to support tobacco cessation Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Cheneal Puljević, Isabel Meciar, Alice Holland, Daniel Stjepanović, Centaine L Snoswell, Emma E Thomas, Kylie Morphett, Heewon Kang, Gary Chan, Etienne Grobler, Coral E Gartner
Objective To review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of text message-based interventions for smoking cessation, including the effects of dose (number of text messages) and concomitant use of behavioural or pharmacological interventions. Data sources We searched seven databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science), Google
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Tobacco packaging littering behaviours among Australian adults who smoke: findings from cross-sectional and observational studies to inform the implementation of cigarette pack inserts Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Claudia Gascoyne, Rain Li, Michelle Scollo, Melanie A Wakefield, Emily Brennan
Background Cigarette pack inserts are small cards that highlight the benefits of quitting and promote use of smoking cessation support. With evidence from Canada that they increase self-efficacy to quit, quit attempts and sustained cessation, inserts are set to be introduced into tobacco packs sold in Australia. Some people have expressed concern that the introduction of inserts may create more litter
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Impact of cigarette price and tobacco control policies on youth smoking experimentation in Albania Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Elvina Merkaj, Edvin Zhllima, Drini Imami, Irena Gjika, Carlos Manuel Guerrero-López, Jeffrey Drope
Background Albania has one of the highest smoking prevalences in Europe and it is particularly high among the youth population. There is a dearth of evidence in Albania, most of Eastern Europe and most middle-income countries on the effect of price on smoking experimentation. Objective The study aimed to assess the effect of price and tobacco control policies on youth smoking experimentation in Albania
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Industry response to New Zealand’s vaping regulations Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Lucy Hardie, Judith McCool, Becky Freeman
In 2023, the New Zealand Labour Government announced a range of measures to respond to continued increases in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among youth. Among 15–24 year-olds, regular use (at least monthly) has increased from 4.9% (2017/2018) to 27.1% (2022/2023).1 As part of the measures, the Government stated it would ‘effectively ban disposable vapes’ by imposing several restrictions on
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Towards health with justice: making the tobacco industry accountable through administrative liability Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Deborah Sy, Fatima El-Awa, Jawad Ahmed Al-Lawati, Behzad Valizadeh, Sophia El-Gohary, Radwa El-Wakil, Ambika Narain
For many decades, the transnational tobacco industry has evaded the consequences of harming people and the planet. Despite selling a deadly product, it has continued to remain one of the most profitable industries in the world, now venturing into ‘wellness and pharmaceutical’ businesses as part of its diversification strategy. Meanwhile, efforts to make the tobacco industry pay through court systems
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Public support for tobacco endgame policies in South Korea: Findings from the 2020 International Tobacco Control Korea Survey Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Heewon Kang, Wonjeong Yoon, Hong Gwan Seo, Sungkyu Lee, Sujin Lim, Gil-yong Kim, Su Young Kim, Steve S Xu, Mi Yan, Anne C K Quah, Janet Chung-Hall, Lorraine V Craig, Coral E Gartner, Geoffrey T Fong, Sung-il Cho
Background Strong public support can increase the likelihood of adopting tobacco control policies. We assessed support for six commercial tobacco endgame policies in South Korea: limiting the nicotine in cigarettes, banning all additives in cigarettes, restricting the number of places where cigarettes are sold, and banning the manufacture and sales of cigarettes (unconditionally, with the provision
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How can youth involvement in public health conferences promote a tobacco-free generation? Lessons from the ECToH 2023’s Youth Committee Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Christos Tsagkaris, Beatriz Arranz, Wendy Yared, Rui Medeiros, José María Martín-Moreno
Young health advocates have the legitimate aspiration to be masters of their future and are increasingly contributing to public health research and practice worldwide, yet their potential to contribute to the documentation and communication of outputs from public health conferences has not been fully realised. This short communication highlights the Youth Committee of the 2023 European Conference on
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Progress, setbacks and changing perception of the possible: reflections on Aotearoa/New Zealand’s changed political landscape and tobacco policy plans Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Marita Hefler
In November 2023, the global public health community was shocked to learn the incoming Aotearoa/New Zealand government intends to repeal the country’s world-leading Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Act (SERPA).1 Twenty years after the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) propelled widespread adoption and acceleration of effective tobacco control
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Trends in unit sales of cooling flavoured e-cigarettes, USA, 2017–2021 Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Fatma Romeh M Ali, Elizabeth L Seaman, Megan C Diaz, Julianah Ajose, Brian A King
Objective Flavours that produce a cooling sensation, such as menthol, enhance the appeal of e-cigarettes among youth; but not all e-cigarettes that produce cooling sensations are labelled as menthol. This study assessed trends in unit sales of cooling flavoured e-cigarettes in the USA. Design E-cigarette retail sales during 26 January 2017 to 28 November 2021 were licensed from Information Resources
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Nicotine pouch marketing strategies in the USA: an analysis of Zyn, On! and Velo Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Zongshuan Duan, Lisa Henriksen, Donna Vallone, Jessica M Rath, W Douglas Evans, Katelyn F Romm, Christina Wysota, Carla J Berg
Introduction Nicotine pouches are gaining popularity, yet their marketing is understudied. Methods Using Numerator advertising data from January 2019 to September 2021 regarding three popular brands of nicotine pouch in the USA—Zyn (by Swedish Match, introduced in the USA in July 2016), On! (Altria, August 2016) and Velo (RJ Reynolds, July 2019)—we examined (1) general advertising characteristics (eg
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Tobacco minimum packaging policy to reduce cigarillo use among young people: results of an experimental study Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Darren Mays, Andrea C Johnson, Michelle Jeong, Ollie Ganz, Janet Audrain-McGovern, Andrew A Strasser, Cristine D Delnevo
Objective The Food and Drug Administration has the authority to set a minimum for cigar pack size, a product feature linked to price. This study examined the effects of cigarillo package size and price on young adults’ smoking and purchase intentions. Design Young adults (n=1032) 18–30 years old who smoked cigarillos in the past 12 months completed an online 3×2 within-subjects experiment testing the
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The smoking population is not hardening in South Korea: a study using the Korea Community Health Survey from 2010 to 2018 Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Boyoung Jung, Jung Ah Lee, Ye-Jee Kim, Hong-Jun Cho
Introduction The hardening hypothesis proposes that the proportion of hardcore smokers increases when smoking prevalence declines. To evaluate whether such hardening occurs in South Korea, we examined the association between quitting behaviours, the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the proportion of hardcore smokers and smoking prevalence among local districts in South Korea. Methods This study
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Expanding local sales restrictions on flavoured tobacco products to include menthol: retail sales changes in two Minnesota cities Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Lindsay T Olson, Doris G Gammon, Todd Rogers, Elizabeth M Brown, James M Nonnemaker, James G Spinks, Ashley Ross, Xin Xu, Joanne Moze, Christine M Matter, Joanne D’Silva
Background In 2018, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, expanded existing local sales restrictions on flavoured (non-menthol/mint/wintergreen) tobacco products (‘flavour policies’) to include menthol/mint/wintergreen-flavoured tobacco products (‘menthol policies’). All policies included exemptions for certain store types. Methods We obtained weekly retail tobacco product sales for 2015 through 2019
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National longitudinal tobacco product cessation rates among US adults from the PATH Study: 2013–2019 (waves 1–5) Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Karin A Kasza, Zhiqun Tang, Haijun Xiao, Daniela Marshall, Cassandra A Stanton, Amy L Gross, Kathy M Jackson, Dannielle Kelley, Megan J Schroeder, Juan C Vivar, Andrew Hyland
Objective To report on longitudinal tobacco product cessation rates, by product type, among adults (ages 18+ years) in the USA between 2013 and 2019. Methods The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study was used to report on annual and biennial rates of the following three cessation behaviours across 2013–2019: (1) discontinuing tobacco
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Levels of nicotine and tobacco-specific nitrosamines in oral nicotine pouches Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Nadja Mallock, Thomas Schulz, Sebastian Malke, Nadine Dreiack, Peter Laux, Andreas Luch
Background Nicotine pouches without tobacco are new products that deliver nicotine into the body via the oral mucosa. There is a lack of independent research on the chemical composition and product characteristics of these products, contributing to uncertainties regarding product regulation. This study sought to address knowledge gaps by assessing levels of nicotine and screening for tobacco-specific
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Authority in tobacco control in Pacific Small Island Developing States: a qualitative study of multisectoral tobacco governance in Fiji and Vanuatu Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Dori Patay, Ashley Schram, Jeff Collin, Susan Sell, Sharon Friel
Objective Small Island Developing States (SIDS) struggle with implementing multisectoral tobacco control measures, and health sector actors often lack capacity to forge multisectoral commitment. This study aims to explore the sources and dynamics of authority that can enable multisectoral collaboration despite the divergence of policy agendas in tobacco control. Methods We applied a qualitative, explorative
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Cigarette excise tax structure and cigarette prices in nine sub-Saharan African countries: evidence from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Samantha Filby, Corné Van Walbeek, Liping Pan
Background Economic theory predicts that the excise tax structure influences the distribution of cigarette prices. Evidence shows that uniform specific excise tax structures exhibit the least price variability relative to other tax structures. The distribution of cigarette prices under different excise tax structures has never been examined for a group of African countries. Objectives To examine the
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What impact would tobacco retailer proximity limit have on tobacco availability in New Zealand? Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Louise Marsh, Crile Doscher, Ella Iosua, Robin Quigg, Melanie Tomintz
Introduction One policy option to reduce the density of tobacco retailers is to restrict the distance retailers can be located to each other. This study examined the impacts of proximity limits of 150 m, 300 m and 450 m between tobacco retailers in New Zealand and if critical threshold reduction in tobacco retailers of 90%–95% would be achieved. Methods Using a spatial modelling approach, tobacco retailers
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Assessing the profile of support for potential tobacco control policies targeting availability in Great Britain: a cross-sectional population survey Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Loren Kock, Lion Shahab, Graham Moore, Niamh K Shortt, Jamie Pearce, Jamie Brown
Aim To examine the level of support for tobacco availability policies across Great Britain (GB) and associations between support for policy and sociodemographic, smoking and quitting characteristics. Methods A cross-sectional representative survey (the Smoking Toolkit Study) of adults in GB (n=2197) during September 2021. Logistic regressions estimated the associations between support for each policy
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Culturally specific health-related features on cigarette packs sold in China Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Yuxian Cui, Zheng Dai, Joanna E Cohen, Scott Rosas, Katherine Clegg Smith, Kevin Welding, Lauren Czaplicki
Background China is the country with the highest burden of tobacco-caused disease. We characterised the extent to which cigarette pack marketing features (eg, imagery, text, pack color) could potentially mislead consumers by suggesting products are healthy. Methods We used two methods: group concept mapping and content analysis. First, we used a group concept mapping approach to generate and sort Chinese
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Going ‘Super Value’ in New Zealand: cigarette pricing strategies during a period of sustained annual excise tax increases Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Philip Gendall, Katherine Gendall, J Robert Branston, Richard Edwards, Nick Wilson, Janet Hoek
Background Between 2010 and 2020, the New Zealand (NZ) Government increased tobacco excise tax by inflation plus 10% each year. We reviewed market structure changes and examined whether NZ tobacco companies shifted excise tax increases to maintain the affordability of lower priced cigarette brands. Methods We cluster-analysed market data that tobacco companies supply to the NZ Ministry of Health, created
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Analysis of e-cigarette warning letters issued by the Food and Drug Administration in 2020 and 2021 Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Barbara A Schillo, Adrian Bertrand, Jodie Briggs, Elexis C Kierstead, Nathan A Silver, Stephanie N Yoon, Megan C Diaz
Purpose This study analyses the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letters sent to e-cigarette companies from 1 January 2020 to 9 September 2021. Study results can inform regulation of e-cigarettes. Methodology Warning letters retrieved from FDA’s website were coded for company type (retailer, manufacturer or distributor), location (domestic or international), infractions listed (PMTA (premarket
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How much to pay for a track and trace system: a simulation model for South Africa Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Kirsten van der Zee, Corné van Walbeek, Hana Ross
Background The illicit trade in tobacco reduces the effectiveness of tobacco-control policies. Independent track and trace (T&T) systems are considered one of the most effective measures available to reduce the illicit tobacco trade. South Africa, with an illicit trade estimated at over 35% of the total market, is yet to implement a T&T system. Methods An Excel-based simulation model is used to determine
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Standardised cigarettes: the next step for tobacco policy? Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Yvette van der Eijk
As tobacco marketing restrictions intensify, tobacco companies increasingly turn to the cigarette product itself as a marketing medium with new flavours, capsules, novelty filter features and attractive cigarette stick designs. This paper considers a ‘standardised cigarettes’ policy as a potential next step in restricting tobacco marketing. This policy would remove from cigarette products all the elements
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The role of IQOS risk perceptions on cigarette smoking behaviours: results from a prospective pilot study Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Teresa DeAtley, Matthew D Stone, Andrew A Strasser, Janet Audrain-McGovern
Background IQOS is a heated tobacco product marketed as an alternative to combustible cigarette smoking. Little is known about cigarette smokers’ IQOS health risk perceptions and if these risk perceptions impact IQOS use and cigarette smoking behaviour. Methods Adult, daily, non-treatment-seeking cigarette smokers (n=27), naïve to IQOS, were recruited from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Participants
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Impact of electronic cigarette and heated tobacco product on conventional smoking: an Italian prospective cohort study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Silvano Gallus, Chiara Stival, Martin McKee, Giulia Carreras, Giuseppe Gorini, Anna Odone, Piet A van den Brandt, Roberta Pacifici, Alessandra Lugo
Objective Debate continues about whether electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products (HTP) reduce or increase the probability of smoking, with many studies compromised by stated or unstated conflicts of interest. We undertook a longitudinal study in Italy. Methods 3185 Italian participants aged 18–74 years provided baseline (April–May) and follow-up (November–December) responses
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Electronic nicotine delivery systems in Nigeria: product types, flavours and nicotine content labels Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Olufemi A Erinoso, Olatokunbo Osibogun, Catherine O Egbe, Ololade Wright, Afolabi Oyapero, Akin Osibogun
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; e-cigarettes) products are penetrating markets in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited regulations and information on industry activity.1 2 For example, the prevalence of e-cigarette ever-use is estimated at 7.9% among adolescents and young adults in Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria.3 Although these rates are not as high as combustible
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Assessing cigarette smuggling at a time of border closure to international tourists: survey of littered packs in New Zealand Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Nick Wilson, Rachel Carter, Deborah Heath, Zhang Wei, Emmanuelle Martinez, Lindsay Robertson, Paaras Zhangmo, Sophia Bloomfield, George W Thomson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards
Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) is a country with a tobacco endgame plan that includes denicotinisation of tobacco.1 2 Because of concerns these measures could increase tobacco smuggling, we aimed to provide new baseline data on such smuggling. We studied littered tobacco packs during a ‘natural experiment’ when no international tourists and relatively few NZ travellers arrived due to COVID-19-related border
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Lucky Strike advertising: the use of ‘anaphora’ as a rhetorical device to highlight ‘smooth’ as a cigarette product descriptor Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Timothy Dewhirst
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, which is a central objective of marketing communication.1–3 Marketers seek to develop a favourable set of brand beliefs and attitudes among consumers so that they will buy and keep buying the product.4 Marketing scholars, Edward McQuarrie and David Mick, present a taxonomy of rhetorical figures that are commonly used in advertising language.5 Rhymes and metaphors
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Philip Morris International advertisements target the oral health field in Japan, contrary to the latest World Dental Federation Policy Statement Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Tomoyasu Hirano, Takashi Hanioka
There has been increasing commercial promotion of heated tobacco products (HTPs). The WHO has indicated that there is no conclusive scientific evidence that HTPs are less harmful than conventional cigarettes.1 2 However, cigarette smokers in Japan continue to take up and regularly use HTPs primarily due to the perception that they are less harmful.3 4 Moreover, the lack of a comprehensive and effectively
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Correction: Did JUUL alter the content of menthol pods in response to US FDA flavour enforcement policy? Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
Yassine A, El Hage R, El-Hellani A, et al . Did JUUL alter the content of menthol pods in response to US FDA flavour enforcement policy? Tob Control 2022;31:s234–s237. 1. The title of the paper has been updated to Levels of menthol, nicotine and cooling agents measured in JUUL products purchased across a three-year period . 2. The abstract and body of the paper have been re-worded to remove any reference
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Seeking to be seen as legitimate members of the scientific community? An analysis of British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International’s involvement in scientific events Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Britta Katharina Matthes, Alice Fabbri, Sarah Dance, Louis Laurence, Karin Silver, Anna B Gilmore
Introduction For decades, tobacco companies manipulated and misused science. They funded and disseminated favourable research and suppressed research that showed the harms of their products, deliberately generating misinformation. While previous work has examined many of the practices involved, their engagement in scientific events has so far not been systematically studied. Here, we examine the involvement
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Tobacco industry interference to undermine the development and implementation of graphic health warnings in Bangladesh Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 Md Hasan Shahriar, Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Shahedul Alam, Britta K Matthes, Anna B Gilmore, A B M Zubair
Background In Bangladesh, the 2013 Amendment of the Tobacco Control Act made graphic health warnings (GHWs) on the upper 50% of all tobacco packs obligatory. However, at the time of writing (May 2022), GHWs are still being printed on the lower 50% of packs. This paper seeks to explore how the tobacco industry undermined the development and implementation of GHWs in Bangladesh, a country known for a
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Document analysis of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World’s scientific outputs and activities: a case study in contemporary tobacco industry agnogenesis Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 Tess Legg, Bryan Clift, Anna B Gilmore
Background Tobacco corporation Philip Morris International launched the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW), a purportedly independent scientific organisation, in 2017. We aimed to systematically investigate FSFW’s activities and outputs, comparing these with previous industry attempts to influence science, as identified in the recently developed typology of corporate influence on science, the
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Building consensus on a set of ENDS-specific pictorial health warnings: a Delphi study among a tobacco control expert panel Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Taghrid Asfar, Michael Schmidt, Olusanya Joshua Oluwole, Alejandra Casas, Lily Friedman, Tarana Ferdous, Seth M Noar, Thomas Eissenberg, Wasim Maziak
Background This study reports on the development of pictorial health warning labels for electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) using the Delphi approach with a panel of tobacco control experts. Twenty-four evidence-based ENDS-specific warnings corresponding to three themes (toxicity, health risks and specific harm) were developed and used in the Delphi study. Methods We conducted a three-round
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Geographical differences in the financial impacts of different forms of tobacco licence fees on small retailers in Scotland Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-07 Roberto Valiente, Helena Tunstall, Amanda Y Kong, Luke B Wilson, Duncan Gillespie, Colin Angus, Alan Brennan, Niamh K Shortt, Jamie Pearce
Objective Retailer licencing fees are a promising avenue to regulate tobacco availability. However, they face strong opposition from retailers and the tobacco industry, who argue significant financial impacts. This study compares the impacts of different forms of tobacco licence schemes on retailers’ profits in Scotland. Methods We calculated gross profits from tobacco sales in 179 convenience stores
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PMI-funded foundation for a smoke-free world: application of criteria to assess funding models that include financial support from the tobacco industry Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Joanna E Cohen, Thomas Eissenberg, Mitch Zeller
Recent changes to the leadership and the terms of tobacco industry financing of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) have called for a revisiting of a paper published in 2009 where we proposed criteria and other considerations to assess possible funding models for research that include financial support from the tobacco industry. This paper reviews and attempts to apply the elements laid out
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Impact of regulatory tightening of the Hungarian tobacco retail market on availability, access and cigarette smoking prevalence of adolescents Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Tamás Joó, Kristie Foley, Zoltán Brys, Todd Rogers, Miklós Szócska, József Bodrogi, Péter Gaál, Melinda Pénzes
Introduction Policies that reduce tobacco retail density to decrease tobacco use among the youth are critical for the tobacco endgame. This paper reviews a Hungarian tobacco regulatory measure, which, since 2013, has confined the sale of tobacco products exclusively to so-called National Tobacco Shops, summarises the changes in the national tobacco retail marketplace and reports on analyses of the
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Qualitative perspective on nicotine pouches from adults who smoke cigarettes in North Carolina Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Sonia A Clark, Guido Baler, Kristen L Jarman, M Justin Byron, Adam O Goldstein, Leah M Ranney
Background Little is known about how nicotine pouch products are perceived by people who smoke, including if they are perceived as a cessation aid or a substitute for when they cannot smoke. We qualitatively investigated the reactions and perceptions about On!, a leading brand of nicotine pouches. Methods We conducted online semistructured interviews with 30 adults who smoke cigarettes. Participants
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New Zealand community pharmacists’ perspectives on supplying smoked tobacco as an endgame initiative: a qualitative analysis Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Janet Hoek, Charika Muthumala, Elizabeth Fenton, Coral E Gartner, Frederieke Sanne Petrović-van der Deen
Introduction Tobacco endgame strategies often include measures to reduce tobacco availability by decreasing retailer numbers. Recently, some US pharmacies have delisted tobacco, though overall retailer numbers have not reduced markedly. Paradoxically, others have suggested limiting tobacco sales to pharmacies, to reduce supply and support cessation. We explored how pharmacists from Aotearoa New Zealand
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Cross-sectional study of the associations between the implementation of the WHO FCTC tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans and current e-cigarette use among youth from countries with different income levels Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Tuija Ylitörmänen, Yelena Tarasenko, Heikki Hiilamo, Otto Ruokolainen, Pekka Puska, Hanna Ollila
Background The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Article 13 requires countries to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS), and bans are recommended to cover electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). We examined youth e-cigarette prevalence by TAPS regulations in countries with different income levels. Methods We analysed data on 165 299 respondents from 48 countries
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Perceptions of and responses of young adults who use e-cigarettes to flavour bans in China: a qualitative study Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Xue Weng, Chu Yu Song, Kefeng Liu, Yongda Socrates Wu, Jung Jae Lee, Ningyuan Guo, Man Ping Wang
Background China has banned all flavoured e-cigarettes to reduce e-cigarette use among young people, but little is known about the views and reactions of people who use e-cigarettes. This study explored the perceptions of, and responses by, young adults who use e-cigarettes to the flavour ban. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 Chinese young adults aged 18–25 years who had used
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How can tracking and tracing systems give us a look at the dark side of the tobacco market? Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Filip Borkowski, Edoardo Fibbi
Objective The aim of this work is to present possible applications of the systems of tobacco traceability for guiding local enforcement against illicit trade. Methods The proposed three-step strategy relies on a robust regression technique and Local Moran’s I, a local indicator of spatial association, and aims at identifying retail outlets with significantly low sales compared to normal market conditions
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Crowding-out effect of tobacco consumption in Indonesia Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 Arya Swarnata, Fariza Zahra Kamilah, I Dewa Gede Karma Wisana, Yurdhina Meilissa, Gita Kusnadi
Background Tobacco consumption is pervasive in Indonesia, with 6 out of 10 households in the country consuming tobacco. Smoking households, on average, divert a significant share (10.7%) of their monthly budget on tobacco products, which is higher than spending on staples, meat or vegetables. Nevertheless, evidence of the causal link between tobacco expenditure and spending on other commodities in
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Improving estimates of the illicit cigarette trade through collaboration: lessons from two studies of Malaysia Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-17 Ridzuan Kunji Koya, J Robert Branston, Allen W A Gallagher, Wency Kher Thinng Bui, Hana Ross, Norashidah Mohamed Nor
This paper critically analyses contrasting estimates of Malaysia’s illicit cigarette trade in 2011, 2015 and 2019 by Bui et al and Koya et al who previously produced independent estimates at about the same time using tax gap analysis. Collaboration between the two authors’ teams emerged due to the discrepancies in their results, generating this paper to explore the methodological issues identified
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Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Indian government’s policies to strengthen health warning labels on smokeless tobacco products: findings from the 2010–2019 Tobacco Control Project India Surveys Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Ian Holdroyd, Namrata Puntambekar, Pete Driezen, Shannon Gravely, Anne C K Quah, Steve Shaowei Xu, Prakash C Gupta, Geoffrey T Fong, Mangesh S Pednekar
Background Smokeless tobacco (SLT) packaging in India had a single symbolic (a scorpion) health warning label (HWL) in 2009 covering 40% of the front surface. In 2011, it was replaced with four pictorial images. In 2016, HWLs were enlarged to 85% on the front and back. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the old (symbolic and smaller images) and larger HWLs. Methods Data were from the Tobacco
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Tobacco product litter as a form of postconsumption marketing: an observational study in India Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Graziele Grilo, Bekir Kaplan, Joanna E Cohen, Paramita Bhattacharya, Nirmalya Mukherjee, Kevin Welding, Ryan David Kennedy
Background Tobacco product litter may be a form of postconsumption marketing if the littered items are branded. We conducted an observational study in India to assess the presence of tobacco product litter and determine the proportion that included branding. Methods During November–December 2022, we identified tobacco product litter (cigarette/bidi butts and packaging; smokeless tobacco packaging)
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Messages about climate, pollution and social justice harms of tobacco as motivators to quit: an untapped communication opportunity? Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Tamara Tabbakh, Eve Mitsopoulos, Tegan Nuss, Sarah J Durkin
Background Campaigns highlighting the health harms of smoking have demonstrated success in motivating people who smoke to quit. Tobacco production and use also exert a toll on the environment, sustainable development and human rights. However, messages highlighting these harms of tobacco have been relatively unexplored as a cessation motivation strategy. In this study, we examined the extent to which
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Nicotine beliefs and perceptions of low nicotine labels and mitigating statements among people who do and do not smoke: a cross-sectional study from Aotearoa New Zealand Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-09 Philip Gendall, Lucy Popova, James Thrasher, Janet Hoek
Background Aotearoa New Zealand proposed a new maximum nicotine content of 0.8 mg/g for smoked tobacco products, although the new government plans to repeal this legislation. Requiring ‘Very low nicotine’ (VLN) messages on cigarettes meeting this standard may reinforce misperceptions that they are less harmful than cigarettes currently sold. Methods To explore knowledge of nicotine and very low nicotine
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Easy access: identification verification and shipping methods used by online vape shops Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Adrian Bertrand, Megan C Diaz, Elizabeth C Hair, Barbara A Schillo
Objective This project assesses how online vape shops (OVSs) verify buyer identification (ID) and the shipping methods used to send products within the USA. Methodology In January 2023, we conducted three online searches (eg, ‘best online vape shops’) from our office in Washington, District of Columbia, to identify popular OVSs. Two trained coders identified discrete features available within the site
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‘Discreet shipping’ on TikTok enables selling of e-cigarettes to youth Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 George Pearson, Diana Lane Davidson, Barbara Schillo, Jennifer M Kreslake
Despite age restrictions, youth electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use remains prevalent. In the USA, 10% of high schoolers currently use and nearly a quarter (22.3%) have ever tried e-cigarettes.1 Similar rates have been observed among young people in other regions.2 3 Previous research has highlighted how online sales facilitate youth access to tobacco products,4 and the prevalence of e-cigarette
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Need for improved regulation of tobacco e-commerce Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Eric C Leas
In 1995, Mark Hayman1 first introduced Tobacco Control to e-commerce when he described what was then only a handful of websites that essentially functioned as mail-order catalogues with pictures and descriptions of tobacco products that could be ordered by calling a landline. Today, tobacco can be ordered from websites within seconds on any computer, smartphone or tablet at any time and place. E-commerce
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Association between the implementation of standardised tobacco packaging legislation and illicit tobacco and cross-border purchasing in England: a time-series analysis between 2012 and 2020 Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-06 Hannah Vincent, Anthony A Laverty, Jamie Brown, Emma Beard, Ilze Bogdanovica
Background In May 2016, the UK announced standardising packaging legislation for tobacco products. There was a 12-month transition period with both branded and standardised packs on the market until May 2017. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the implementation of standardised packaging in England was associated with changes in illicit tobacco and cross-border purchasing. Methods We
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Perspectives on reforming the tobacco tax administration system in Bangladesh to enhance public health Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-04 Rumana Huque, Fatema Kashfi, Ibrahim Khalil, Hamidul Islam, Syed Mahbubul Alam, Nasiruddin Ahmed
Background Taxation is the most cost-effective instrument to regulate the consumption of tobacco products. However, weak tax administration can compromise the effectiveness of taxation. This paper aimed to understand the process of the current tobacco tax administration system in Bangladesh, identify gaps and outline the policy priorities to strengthen the tobacco tax administration process in Bangladesh
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Tobacco, nicotine and counter-marketing promotions using Instagram’s branded content tool Tob. Control (IF 5.2) Pub Date : 2023-12-30 Linnea Laestadius, Kelsey Van Hoorn, Julia Vassey, Jenny Ozga, Cassandra Stanton, Dongmei Li, Eileen Han, Daniel Romer
Background The social media conglomerate, Meta, has a policy prohibiting promotion of tobacco products, vaporisers, electronic cigarettes or other products that simulate smoking via their branded content tools. This study examines if branded Instagram posts comply with these self-regulatory efforts. Methods We analysed the presence and content of tobacco/nicotine promotion, as well as counter-marketing