Perception and intention of using less harmful and less addictive hypothetical modified risk tobacco products among never tobacco users in the united states

Abstract

AimsThere is limited research focusing on how never tobacco users respond to claims associated with modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs). The purpose of the present study is twofold: (1) to identify how never tobacco users perceive hypothetical modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) claims; and (2) to assess whether these perceptions impact their intentions of using MRTPs described as “less harmful” and “less addictive.” MethodThe present study draws upon a nationally representative dataset of US adults aged ≥ 18 years (n = 850) from a cross-sectional survey (HINTS-FDA, Cycle 2, 2017). Weighted unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the data. ResultsParticipants who perceived tobacco products labeled as having “no additives” to be less harmful were close to three times more likely to report intentions of using “less harmful” (Adjusted OR = 2.93 [95% CI: 1.12–7.65]) and “less addictive” (Adjusted OR = 2.72 [95% CI: 1.03–7.21]) tobacco products than those who perceived them to be more/equally harmful. Participants who believed that tobacco products could be manufactured without some chemicals were over five and six times more likely to report intentions of using “less harmful” (Adjusted OR = 5.53 [95% CI: 1.59–19.25]) and “less addictive” (Adjusted OR = 6.60 [95% CI: 2.65–16.46]) tobacco products than those who were unlikely to believe it. ConclusionsOur findings have implications for FDA’s regulation of MRTPs and provides insights regarding how the marketing of authorized MRTPs could impact population health in the future.