The Relationship Between Menthol Cigarette Use, Smoking Cessation, and Relapse: Findings from Waves
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Mills
SD, Hao Y, Ribisl KM, Wiesen CA, Hassmiller Lich K.
The Relationship Between
Menthol Cigarette Use, Smoking Cessation, and Relapse: Findings from Waves 1 to
4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2021 May 24;23(6):966-975. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntaa212. PMID:
33063826.
Introduction.
Some, but not all, studies suggest that menthol cigarette smokers have more
difficulty quitting than non-menthol cigarette smokers. Inconsistent findings
may be a result of differences in smoker characteristics (eg, daily vs.
non-daily smokers) across studies. This study examines the relationship between
menthol cigarette use, cessation, and relapse in a longitudinal, nationally
representative study of tobacco use in the United States.
Aims and methods.
Data come from four waves of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health
Study. Waves 1-4 were conducted approximately annually from September 2013 to
January 2018. Generalized estimating equation models were used to prospectively
examine the relationship between menthol cigarette use, cessation, and relapse
in non-daily and daily adult (18+) smokers. Cessation was defined as smokers
who had not used cigarettes within the past 30 days at their subsequent
assessment. Relapse was defined as cessation followed by past 30-day smoking in
the next assessment.
Results.
Among daily smokers (n = 13 710), 4.0% and 5.3% of menthol and non-menthol
smokers quit after 1 year, respectively. In an adjusted model, menthol smokers
were less likely to quit compared with non-menthol smokers (odds ratio [OR] =
0.76 [0.63, 0.91]). When the sample was stratified by race/ethnicity, African
American (OR = 0.47 [0.24, 0.91]) and White (OR = 0.78 [0.63, 0.97]) daily
menthol users were less likely to have quit. Among non-daily smokers (n =
3608), there were no significant differences in quit rates. Among daily and
non-daily former smokers, there were also no differences in relapse rates
between menthol and non-menthol smokers.
Conclusions.
Menthol cigarette use is associated with lower odds of cessation.
Implications.
Findings from this study suggest that menthol cigarette use is associated with
lower odds of cessation, but not relapse. Removing menthol cigarettes from the
market may improve cessation rates.
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