Comparison of the Cigarette Brand Preferences of Adult and Teenaged Smokers—United States, 1989, and 10 US Communities, 1988 and 1990

Abstract

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States (1). Approximately three fourths of adult regular smokers tried their first cigarette before the age of 18 years (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 1988 NIDA Household Survey, unpublished data); about half had become regular smokers before their 18th birthday (2). Knowing what brands young smokers prefer may suggest what encourages them to smoke and may suggest smoking-prevention or smoking-cessation strategies (3-5). To determine brand preferences of smokers, data were reviewed from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics' 1989 Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey (TAPS) and the National Cancer Institute surveys of adults in 1988 and 9th-grade students in 1990 in 10 U.S. communities* participating in the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT) evaluation (6). This report examines the findings of these surveys on the cigarette brand preferences of adult and teenaged smokers.