Influence of Electronic Cigarette Characteristics on Susceptibility, Perceptions, and Abuse Liability Indices among Combustible Tobacco Cigarette Smokers and Non-Smokers

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 16; no. 10; p. 1825
• Main Authors: Hoetger, Cosima, Bono, Rose S., Nicksic, Nicole E., Barnes, Andrew J., Cobb, Caroline O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.05.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Behavior; Behavior, Addictive - psychology; Consumer Behavior; Electronic cigarettes; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems - standards; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems - statistics & numerical data; FDA approval; Female; Flavors; Humans; Liability; Male; Middle Aged; Nicotine; Non-Smokers - psychology; Non-Smokers - statistics & numerical data; Public health; Smokers - psychology; Smokers - statistics & numerical data; Smoking; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco; United States; Vaping - psychology; Young Adult; Young adults; United States; United States > US; flavors; purchase task; electronic cigarette; tobacco regulation; risk perceptions; policy
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16101825

This study assessed how electronic cigarette (ECIG) characteristics amenable to regulation—namely nicotine content, flavor, and modified risk messages—impact ECIG use susceptibility, harm/addiction perceptions, and abuse liability indices among combustible tobacco cigarette (CTC) smokers and non-smokers. CTC smokers and non-smokers varying in ECIG use recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) completed an online survey in 2016 (analytic n = 706). Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions differing in ECIG characteristics: nicotine content (no, low, high), flavor (menthol, tobacco, fruit), or modified risk message (reduced harm, reduced carcinogen exposure). Regressions assessed ECIG susceptibility, harm/addiction perceptions, and abuse liability indices (purchase task measures of breakpoint/intensity) within each regulatory domain (nicotine content, flavor, message) and their interactions with CTC/ECIG status. Differential effects on ECIG susceptibility, harm/addiction perceptions, and abuse liability indices were observed by regulatory domain with many effects moderated by CTC/ECIG status. ECIG nicotine content and flavor conditions were the most influential across outcomes. Greater nicotine content, tobacco-flavored and reduced carcinogen exposure ECIGs were more highly preferred by CTC smokers with some differing preferences for non-users. Findings reinforce consideration of discrete ECIG preferences across tobacco use status to improve regulatory efficacy.