Perceptions of the Addictiveness of Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Versus Typical Cigarettes and Exposure to Tobacco Industry-Sponsored Corrective Campaign

Authors

Onyema Greg Chido-Amajuoyi
Dale S Mantey
Efehi Igbinomwanhia
Onyinye Omega-Njemnobi
Henry Onyeaka
Robert K Yu
Israel Agaku
Sanjay Shete

Language

English

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal

Substance Use & Misuse

DOI

10.1080/10826084.2024.2360100

PMID

38831538

PMCID

PMC11249086

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

6-3-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Background: In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a regulatory plan to reduce the nicotine content of cigarettes. This study examines the association of exposure to industry-sponsored corrective statements on perceptions of the addictiveness of low-nicotine cigarettes relative to typical cigarettes within the general US population.

Methods: The study comprised 4975 US adult respondents of the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5, Cycle 3). Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine associations between exposure to tobacco industry corrective messages and perceptions of the addictiveness of low-nicotine cigarettes relative to typical cigarettes.

Results: In the overall population, 4.1% reported that low-nicotine cigarettes were much more addictive than typical cigarettes, 67.5% said they were equally addictive, while 28.4% reported they were slightly/much less addictive. Adults exposed to industry-sponsored corrective messages had higher odds of perceiving low-nicotine cigarettes as equally addictive as typical cigarettes (aOR 1.57; 95% CI, 1.13-2.19) than those who saw no corrective messages. Those exposed to the corrective messages specifically about the addictiveness of smoking and nicotine had higher odds of perceiving low-nicotine cigarettes as equally addictive as typical cigarettes (aOR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.07-2.81) compared to those who saw no corrective message.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that exposure to court-ordered tobacco industry corrective statements may have reinforced perceptions on the addictive potential of nicotine. However, study findings indicate a need for campaigns specifically tailored to address misperceptions observed in this study.

Keywords

Humans, Adult, Tobacco Industry, Male, Female, Middle Aged, Tobacco Products, Young Adult, Nicotine, United States, Adolescent, Behavior, Addictive, Aged, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Addiction, Cigarettes, Tobacco, Tobacco Industry

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Chido-Amajuoyi, Onyema Greg; Mantey, Dale S; Igbinomwanhia, Efehi; et al., "Perceptions of the Addictiveness of Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Versus Typical Cigarettes and Exposure to Tobacco Industry-Sponsored Corrective Campaign" (2024). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 6523.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/6523