Abstract
Background: To gauge the public health impact of new nicotine products, information is needed on use among different populations. Aims were to assess in adults who smoked, vaped, did both or had recently stopped: (1) awareness, ever and current use of heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches (NP), (2) characteristics associated with ever use, (3) reasons for use of and satisfaction with HTPs, (4) characteristics associated with interest in use of HTPs. Methods: Online survey in the UK in 2019, n = 3883. (1) Proportion aware, ever and current (≥monthly) use; (2) ever use regressed onto socio-demographics and smoking/vaping; (3) frequency of reasons for HTP use and satisfaction; (4) interest in trying HTPs regressed onto socio-demographics and smoking/vaping status. Results: Awareness was 34.8% for HTP and 15.9% for NP; current use was 3.2% and 2.7%. Being <45 years, higher education, living in London and currently both smoking and vaping were associated with ever having used the products. Curiosity was the most common reason for HTP use (79.8%) and 72.0% of ever HTP users found them at least as satisfying as smoking. Among those not currently using HTPs, 48.5% expressed any interest—lower among those aged over 65 and higher among those smoking and vaping. Conclusions: In this sample of adults with a history of nicotine use, very few currently used heated tobacco products or nicotine pouches. Satisfaction with and interest in HTPs were substantial. The low level of use is unlikely to substantially reduce the public health impact of smoking.
Highlights
New categories of nicotine-containing products have emerged in recent years, including heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches
For Zonnic, an older type of nicotine pouch, trials found that compared with nicotine gum, nicotine pouches were as effective or more effective at reducing craving and favoured by smokers [18,19]
The net public health effect from the introduction of alternative nicotine products depends on the degree to which use is less harmful than smoking, whether people who smoke switch to other products, whether people who used to smoke take up new products, whether people who would not have used any nicotine or tobacco product take up new products and whether this diverts them from or attracts them to using more harmful products [20,21]
Summary
Aims were to assess in adults who smoked, vaped, did both or had recently stopped: (1) awareness, ever and current use of heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches (NP), (2) characteristics associated with ever use, (3) reasons for use of and satisfaction with HTPs, (4) characteristics associated with interest in use of HTPs. Methods: Online survey in the UK in 2019, n = 3883. Curiosity was the most common reason for HTP use (79.8%) and 72.0% of ever HTP users found them at least as satisfying as smoking Among those not currently using HTPs, 48.5% expressed any interest—lower among those aged over 65 and higher among those smoking and vaping. Conclusions: In this sample of adults with a history of nicotine use, very few currently used heated tobacco products or nicotine pouches. The low level of use is unlikely to substantially reduce the public health impact of smoking
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
