• Sophia I Allen, Emily Wasserman, Susan Veldheer, Jessica Yingst, Shari Hrabovsky, Jason Liao, Nicolle M Krebs, Kimberly Horn, Lisa Reinhart, Jennifer Modesto, Kayla Putt, A Eden Evins, Joshua E Muscat, John P Richie, and Jonathan Foulds.
• Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA.
• Nicotine Tob. Res. 2019 Aug 19; 21 (9): 1206-1212.

IntroductionAbout half of smokers relight their cigarette, a habit that is a risk factor for chronic bronchitis and possibly lung cancer. Little is known about the characteristics of smokers who relight and their dependence on nicotine. It is unknown whether relighting affects exposure to tobacco smoke constituents. This study examined the characteristics of relighters of usual brand cigarettes and whether relighting affects exposure to selected tobacco smoke constituents.MethodsWe explored relighting status and frequency, using baseline data from 248 adult smokers participating in studies of reduced nicotine cigarettes in relation to demographic and cigarette characteristics, smoking behaviors, nicotine dependence, biomarkers of exposure (exhaled carbon monoxide, blood cotinine), and biomarkers of oxidative stress (ratio of oxidized/reduced glutathione).Results69.4% (n = 172) of subjects reported relighting, and they relit an average of five cigarettes out of 20. Both relighters and non-relighters smoked a mean of 20 cigarettes per day (p = .6). Relighting was significantly associated with higher nicotine dependence, use of longer rod cigarettes, older age, lower income, and unemployment. There were no significant associations between relighting and blood cotinine, exhaled carbon monoxide or measures of oxidized/reduced blood glutathione.ConclusionsThe majority of subjects were relighters, who had higher levels of nicotine dependence than non-relighters. Relighters had similar levels of plasma cotinine and exhaled carbon monoxide to non-relighters.ImplicationsNo study has compared the cigarette characteristics and biomarkers of exposure of adult cigarette smokers who relight with those who do not. Relighting behavior was common in our sample and was associated with low income, not currently working, higher nicotine dependence, cigarette rod length, daily cigarette use years, and a lifetime history of depressed mood.© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

36 keywords...

hide…