Menthol Cigarette Use Among Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States, 2004-2008

Abstract Introduction Despite the overall decline in the prevalence of cigarette use in the United States, menthol cigarette use among smokers is rising, and evidence shows that it may lead to more detrimental effects on public health than regular cigarette use. One of the mechanisms by which nicotine sustains tobacco use and dependence is due to its cognitive enhancing properties, and basic science literature suggests that menthol may also enhance nicotine’s acute effect on cognition. Aims and Methods The purpose of this review is to suggest that the cognitive enhancing effects of menthol may be a potentially important neuropsychological mechanism that has yet to be examined. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of basic science studies examining neurobiological and cognitive effects of menthol and menthol cigarette smoking. We also review studies examining menthol essential oils among humans that indicate menthol alone has acute cognitive enhancing properties. Finally, we present factors influencing the rising prevalence of menthol cigarette use among smokers and the importance of this gap in the literature to improve public health and smoking cessation treatment. Conclusions Despite the compelling evidence for menthol’s acute cognitive enhancing and reinforcing effects, this mechanism for sustaining tobacco dependence and cigarette use has yet to be examined and validated among humans. On the basis of the basic science evidence for menthol’s neurobiological effects on nicotinic receptors and neurotransmitters, perhaps clarifying menthol’s effect on cognitive performance can help to elucidate the complicated literature examining menthol and tobacco dependence. Implications Menthol cigarette use has continued to be a topic of debate among researchers and policy makers, because of its implications for understanding menthol’s contribution to nicotine dependence and smoking persistence, as well as its continued use as a prevalent flavoring in tobacco and nicotine products in the United States and internationally. As international tobacco regulation policies have begun to target menthol cigarettes, research studies need to examine how flavoring additives, specifically menthol, may acutely influence neurobiological and cognitive functioning as a potential mechanism of sustained smoking behavior to develop more effective treatments.

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Epidemiology of menthol cigarette use in the United States

Tobacco Induced Diseases ◽

10.1186/1617-9625-9-s1-s1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 9 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. S1 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Ralph S Caraballo ◽

Katherine Asman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Menthol Cigarette

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Racial/ethnic differences in daily, nondaily, and menthol cigarette use and smoking quit ratios in the United States: 2002 to 2016

Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.04.009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 125 ◽

pp. 32-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Andrea H. Weinberger ◽

Daniel P. Giovenco ◽

Jiaqi Zhu ◽

Joun Lee ◽

Rachel S. Kashan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

The United States ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Menthol Cigarette ◽

Racial Ethnic

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Use of Mentholated Cigarettes and Likelihood of Smoking Cessation in the United States: A Meta-Analysis

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntz067 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 307-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Philip H Smith ◽

Biruktawit Assefa ◽

Simranpreet Kainth ◽

Kaliris Y Salas-Ramirez ◽

Sherry A McKee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

African American ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Health Benefit ◽

The United States ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Black African ◽

Menthol Cigarette ◽

Marketing Influence

Abstract Introduction Previous qualitative reviews have summarized evidence of an association between menthol cigarette use and likelihood of smoking cessation. The objective of this meta-analysis was to provide a quantitative summary of effect sizes, their variability, and factors related to the variability in effect size for the association between menthol use and likelihood of smoking cessation. Methods We systematically searched Medline, PsycINFO, and Embase for prospective and cross-sectional studies of the association between menthol use and smoking cessation. We analyzed data with random effects meta-analyses and meta-regression. Results Our review identified 22 reports from 19 studies of the association between menthol use and cessation. All identified study samples included only US smokers, with one exception that included both Canadian and US smokers. Our overall model did not demonstrate a significant association between menthol use and cessation; however, menthol users were significantly less likely to quit among blacks/African American smokers (odds ratio = 0.88). Conclusions Among blacks/African Americans predominantly in the US menthol users have approximately 12% lower odds of smoking cessation compared to non-menthol users. This difference is likely the result of the tobacco industry’s ongoing marketing influence on the black/African American Community, suggesting that a menthol ban may have a unique public health benefit for black/African American smokers by encouraging quitting behavior. Implications This study adds a quantitative summary of the association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation in the United States. Findings of an association with lower likelihood of cessation among black/African American smokers, likely resulting from the tobacco industry’s marketing influence, support the ban of menthol flavoring as part of a comprehensive tobacco control effort to increase cessation among black/African American smokers.

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Racial/Ethnic Disparities Across Indicators of Cigarette Smoking in the Era of Increased Tobacco Control, 1992–2019

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntaa231 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kari-Lyn K Sakuma ◽

John P Pierce ◽

Pebbles Fagan ◽

France T Nguyen-Grozavu ◽

Eric C Leas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

African Americans ◽

Tobacco Control ◽

Ethnic Group ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Tobacco Use ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

The United States ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Racial Ethnic

Abstract Introduction This study compared tobacco use and cessation for African Americans (AA), Asians/Pacific Islanders (API), Hispanics/Latinos (H/L), American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN), and non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) in the United States to California (CA), the state with the longest continually funded tobacco control program. The purpose of this study was to identify tobacco use disparities across racial/ethnic groups across time. Methods Cigarette use prevalence (uptake and current use), consumption (mean number of cigarettes smoked per day [CPD]), and quit ratios were calculated across survey years, and trends were examined within each race/ethnic group and comparing between CA and the United States, utilizing the 1992–2019 Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Survey. Results Prevalence decreased for all race/ethnic groups. Current use among CA NHW showed significant decline compared with US counterparts, whereas US H/L showed greater decline than CA counterparts. CPD decreased by approximately 30% across race/ethnic groups, with CA groups having lower numbers. The greatest decrease occurred among AA in CA (average 10.3 CPD [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.3, 12.6] in 1992/1993 to 3 CPD [95% CI: 2.4, 3.7] in 2018/2019). Quit ratios increased from 1992/1993 to 2018/2019 for CA H/L 52.4% (95% CI: 49.8, 53.0) to 59.3 (95% CI: 55.8, 62.5) and CA NHWs 61.5% (95% CI: 60.7, 61.9) to 63.8% (95% CI: 63.9, 66.9). Conclusions Although overall prevalence decreased over time for each racial/ethnic group, declines in CA outpaced the United States only for NHWs. Reductions in CPD were encouraging but the quit ratio points to the need to increase tobacco control efforts toward cessation. Implications The successes in reduced cigarette use uptake and prevalence across time for both California and the rest of the United States were observed largely among non-Hispanic White populations. Although reductions in the number of cigarettes smoked per day are a notable success, particularly among the Californian African Americans, efforts to support quitting across racial/ethnic groups, especially marginalized groups, need to be prioritized.

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The African Americanization of menthol cigarette use in the United States

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1080/14622200310001649478 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 55-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 115

Author(s):

Phillip Gardiner

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Menthol Cigarette

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Exploring Stakeholder and Parent Perspectives of a County Response to Adolescent Vaping and E-Cigarette Use

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/0022042621993495 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002204262199349

Author(s):

Natasha Kurji ◽

Thomas Koza ◽

Amanda Sharp ◽

Kathleen Moore

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Substance Use ◽

The United States ◽

Classroom Observations ◽

School Age ◽

Parent Perspectives ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Perceived Effectiveness ◽

Tobacco Products ◽

Hillsborough County

In the United States, regular cigarette use has steadily declined over the years; however, it has been met with an increase in vaping and e-cigarette use. In Tampa, Florida, this trend has been found especially prevalent among school-aged youth. To combat issues of substance use among youth and prevent criminalization for nonviolent crimes, school-age youth cited for use and possession of tobacco products in Hillsborough County were mandated to attend the Youth Tobacco Awareness Course (YTAC). The aim of this study was to investigate YTAC for its perceived effectiveness and usefulness in mitigating adolescent e-cigarette use. Classroom observations, parent focus groups, and program stakeholder interviews were conducted to comprehensively evaluate this program. Findings from this evaluation led to a deeper understanding of the barriers and facilitators to an effective course, the needs and perceptions of program stakeholders, as well as recommendations for improved future interventions.

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Mainstream Flavor: Ethnic Cuisine and Assimilation in the United States

Social Currents ◽

10.1177/2329496520948169 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 64-85

Author(s):

Anna Boch ◽

Tomás Jiménez ◽

Katharina Roesler

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Cultural Change ◽

Culture Change ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

The United States ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Assimilation Process ◽

Restaurant Reviews ◽

Mexican Populations

Assimilation theories posit that cultural change is part and parcel of the assimilation process. That change can register in the symbols and practices that individuals invoke as part of an ethnic experience. But cultural change also includes the degree to which the mainstream takes up those symbols and practices as part of its composite culture. We develop a way to examine whether cuisine, an important component of ethnic culture, is part of the mainstream’s composite culture and the contextual factors associated with the presence of ethnic cuisine in the composite culture. We begin with a comparison of 761,444 reviews of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and American restaurants across the United States from Yelp!, an online customer review platform. We find that reviews of Mexican restaurants mention ethnicity and authenticity much more than reviews of Italian and American restaurants, but less than reviews of Chinese restaurants, suggesting intermediate mainstreaming of Mexican cuisine. We then examine Mexican restaurant reviews in the 82 largest U.S. core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) to uncover the contextual factors associated with Mexican cuisine’s local mainstream presence. We find that Mexican food is less defined in ethnic terms in CBSAs with larger and more culturally distinct Mexican populations and at less-expensive restaurants. We argue that regional versions of the composite culture change as ethnic groups come to define a region demographically and culturally.

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Trends in Frequency of E-cigarette Use Among Cancer Patients and Survivors in the United States, 2014-2018

Addictive Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106913 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106913

Author(s):

Elena O. Dewar ◽

Edward Christopher Dee ◽

Melaku A. Arega ◽

Chul Ahn ◽

Nina N. Sanford

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

The United States ◽

Cigarette Use

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