Abstract 5279: Prevalence and correlates of perceived harmfulness and addictiveness to traditional and alternative tobacco products among US adults

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Abstract Purpose: Beliefs about addictiveness and harmfulness of tobacco products are associated with intentions to use them. This study aimed to (1) evaluate perceived harmfulness and addictiveness patterns towards multiple tobacco products and (2) examine sociodemographic variables that influence those perceptions. Methods: Weighted multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed on 5,474 US adults aged ≥18 years who participated in the 2015 and 2017 cycles of the Health Information National Trends Survey-FDA. The two primary outcomes were perceived harmfulness and addictiveness of traditional (cigarette, cigar, and pipe filled with tobacco) vs alternative tobacco (e-cigarette, hookah, and “roll your own” cigarettes). All models were adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, household income, census region, and smoking status. Results: Overall, 7.9% of adults in the U.S. perceived alternative tobacco as “not harmful at all” compared to 2.4% for the traditional products. Similarly, 16.2% of adults perceived alternative tobacco as “not addictive at all” compared to 13.6% for the traditional products. Beliefs about the harmfulness and addictiveness of traditional and alternative tobacco products differed by sociodemographic characteristics and smoking status: Those who believed traditional and alternative tobacco products are more harmful were more likely to be female, older (compared with those aged 18-34), Black (compared with White), former or never smokers (compared with current smokers), and adults living in West (compared with Northeast). Similarly, those who believed traditional and alternative tobacco products are more addictive were more likely to be female, older, Black, and adults living in West. However, no association between smoking status and perceived addictiveness was noted. Conclusion: Adults in U.S. perceive tobacco harmfulness and addictiveness differently based on their sociodemographic characteristics and smoking status. These findings are potential areas for targeted behavioral interventions to increase individuals' perceived risk of harm and addiction to all forms of tobacco products in the United States. Citation Format: Kahee A. Mohammed, Martin W. Schoen, Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, Ahmad M. Al-Taee, Gebran W. Khneizer, Lauren D. Arnold, Leslie Hinyard, Thomas E. Burroughs. Prevalence and correlates of perceived harmfulness and addictiveness to traditional and alternative tobacco products among US adults [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5279.