Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
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Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is higher among children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) households. Legislation banning smoking in public places has been linked with reduced SHS exposure in children. However, socioeconomic patterning in responses to legislation has been little explored. ⋯ Post-legislation reductions in SHS exposure were limited to children from higher SES households. Children from lower SES households continue to have high levels of exposure, particularly in homes and cars, and to perceive that smoking is the norm among adults.
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Marketers have long recognized the power and importance of branding, which creates aspirational attributes that increase products' attractiveness. Although brand imagery has traditionally been communicated via mass media, packaging's importance in promoting desirable brand-attribute associations has increased. Knowledge of how groups prone to smoking experimentation interpret tobacco branding would inform the debate over plain packaging currently occurring in many countries. ⋯ Our findings emphasize the continuing importance of tobacco branding as a promotion tool, even when communicated only by packaging. The ease with which packaging alone enabled young people to identify brand attributes and the desirable associations these connoted illustrate how tobacco packaging functions as advertising. The results support measures such as plain packaging of tobacco products to reduce exposure to these overt behavioral cues.
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Awareness and use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) has increased dramatically. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices deliver an aerosol comprised usually of water, propylene glycol and/or glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings. Scant research exists to evaluate the efficacy and safety of such devices, and only one quantitative survey of European users (N = 81) has been published. This qualitative study explores e-cig users' ("vapers") experiences. ⋯ The learning curve to using e-cigs has important implications for laboratory tests of these devices with novice users. Similarly, the multiple e-cig options and the use of "mods" create challenges for researchers and policy makers. Transdisciplinary research is urgently needed, and experienced "vapers" are very interested and willing research participants.
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Menthol has long been an important flavorant in tobacco products, and both its historical and present uses are topics of increasing debate. Menthol can exist in eight different stereoisomeric forms (as four enantiomeric pairs) that possess different sensory properties. As regards use in tobacco products, the open scientific literature and available industry documents focus on the D-menthol and l-menthol enantiomeric pair, and in particular on l-menthol, but are ambiguous about the actual importance of D-menthol in tobacco products. This study provides the first openly available measurements regarding the stereoisomeric forms of menthol as found in selected United States sub-brands of smokeless tobacco (SLT), cigarettes, and cigarette smoke. ⋯ For the selected cigarettes and SLT products tested from the U.S. market, the only form of menthol found was l-menthol. Other forms may be present in products that were not tested. No evidence was found of thermal racemization upon smoking of l-menthol to a d+l mixture.
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Although nicotine addiction is thought to be the primary driver of tobacco smoking, few studies have examined nicotine dependence among Chinese mainland smokers. ⋯ Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent among Chinese males but rare among Chinese females. Occasional smoking is also common among males. Only 3.3% of occasional male smokers appear dependent by FTND criteria. Dependence varies by smoking history and demographics. These findings have implications for design and implementation of smoking cessation interventions.