Pain and Menthol Use are Related to Greater Nicotine Dependence among Black Adults who Smoke Cigaret
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
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JM, Zale EL, Deyo AG, et al.
Pain and Menthol Use are
Related to Greater Nicotine Dependence among Black Adults who Smoke Cigarettes
at Wave 5 (2018-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH)
Study.
[published online ahead of print, 2022 Sep 28]. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities.
2022;10.1007/s40615-022-01419-y. doi:10.1007/s40615-022-01419-y
Burdens related to pain, smoking/nicotine dependence, and pain-smoking
comorbidity disproportionately impact Black Americans, and menthol cigarette
use is overrepresented among Black adults who smoke cigarettes. Menthol may
increase nicotine exposure, potentially conferring enhanced acute analgesia and
driving greater dependence. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to
examine associations between pain, menthol cigarette use, and nicotine
dependence. Data was drawn from Black adults who were current cigarette smokers
(n = 1370) at Wave 5 (2018-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and
Health Study. Nicotine dependence was assessed using the Wisconsin Inventory of
Smoking Dependence Motives. ANCOVA revealed that moderate/severe pain (vs.
no/low pain) was associated with greater overall nicotine dependence (p <
.001) and greater negative reinforcement, cognitive enhancement, and
affiliative attachment smoking motives (ps < .001). Menthol smokers with
moderate/severe pain also endorsed greater cigarette craving and tolerance,
compared to non-menthol smokers with no/low pain (ps < .05). Findings
support the notion that among Black individuals who smoke cigarettes, the
presence of moderate/severe pain (vs. no/low pain) and menthol use may engender
greater physical indices of nicotine dependence relative to non-menthol use.
Compared to no/low pain, moderate/severe pain was associated with greater
emotional attachment to smoking and greater proclivity to smoke for reducing
negative affect and enhancing cognitive function. Clinical implications include
the need to address the role of pain and menthol cigarette use in the
assessment and treatment of nicotine dependence, particularly among Black
adults. These data may help to inform evolving tobacco control policies aimed
at regulating or banning menthol tobacco additives.
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