scholarly journals Assessing the evidence on the differential impact of menthol versus non-menthol cigarette use on smoking cessation: A systematic review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimi Kim ◽  
Geoffrey Curtin

Abstract Background: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines to examine the Key Question: Does menthol cigarette use have a differential impact on smoking cessation compared with non-menthol cigarette use?Methods: The original protocol was registered on March 22, 2016 (updated January 10, 2019; PROSPERO: CRD42019119301). Six databases were queried from inception to December 14, 2018.Results: Fifty-seven studies (27 rated “good”, 27 rated as “fair”, and three studies rated as “poor” individual study quality) that compared menthol and non-menthol smokers were qualitatively synthesized across the following cessation measures (total adjusted studies; strength of evidence grade): duration of abstinence (2; low); quit attempts (14; insufficient); rate of abstinence/quitting (28; moderate); change in smoking quantity/frequency (3; insufficient); and return to smoking/relapse (2; insufficient). Overall, the qualitative synthesis failed to show a consistent trend for the association of menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation across the outcomes. Further, meta-analytic results found no difference between menthol and non-menthol cigarette use and the two measures of quit attempts and duration of abstinence.Implications: The overall strength of evidence for an association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation was graded as “low”, based on deficiencies of indirectness and inconsistency in the available body of evidence. Therefore, there is no consistent, significant, or differential association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation.

Author(s):  
Mimi M. Kim ◽  
Geoffrey M. Curtin

Abstract Background The potential impact of menthol versus non-menthol cigarette use on smoking behaviors is an intensely scrutinized topic in the public health arena. To date, several general literature reviews have been conducted, but findings and conclusions have been discordant. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines to examine the Key Question, “Does menthol cigarette use have a differential impact on smoking cessation compared with non-menthol cigarette use?” Methods Six databases—Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, MEDLINE, Embase and PsycInfo—were queried from inception to June 12, 2020. Articles comparing menthol versus non-menthol cigarette smokers in terms of at least one predefined smoking cessation outcome were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence-Based Practice Center approach. A random-effects model utilizing the DerSimonian and Laird method to pool adjusted odds ratio was applied. Variations among pooled studies were assessed using Cochran’s Q statistic, and heterogeneity was quantified using the inconsistency index (I2). Results Forty-three demographically adjusted studies (22 rated “good”, 20 rated “fair”, and one study rated “poor” individual study quality) comparing menthol and non-menthol smokers were qualitatively synthesized across the following measures (study count; strength of evidence): duration of abstinence (2; low); quit attempts (15; insufficient); rate of abstinence/quitting (29; moderate); change in smoking quantity/frequency (5; insufficient); and, return to smoking/relapse (2; insufficient). Overall, the qualitative synthesis failed to show a consistent trend for an association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation across outcomes. Meta-analyses found no difference between menthol and non-menthol cigarette use and either quit attempts or abstinence. Conclusions Given the lack of consistency or statistical significance in the findings—combined with a “low” overall strength of evidence grade, based on deficiencies of indirectness and inconsistency—no consistent or significant associations between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation were identified. Recommendations for future studies include increased focus on providing longitudinal, adjusted data collected from standardized outcome measures of cessation to better inform long-term smoking cessation and menthol cigarette use. Such improvements should also be further considered in more methodologically rigorous systematic reviews characterized by objectivity, comprehensiveness, and transparency with the ultimate objective of better informing public health and policy decision making.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimi Kim ◽  
Geoffrey M Curtin

Abstract BACKGROUND: This evidence synthesis followed PRISMA guidelines to examine the Key Question: Does menthol cigarette use have a differential impact on initiation and progression to regular smoking compared to non-menthol cigarette use?METHODS: The protocol was registered on March 22, 2016 (updated January 10, 2019; PROSPERO: CRD42019119301). Six databases were queried from inception to December 14, 2018.RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies (19 rated as “good” and 19 rated as “fair” individual study quality) compared menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers, and were qualitatively synthesized across four outcomes: (total adjusted studies; strength of evidence grade): age at smoking initiation (6; low); smoking initiation with menthol cigarettes (4; insufficient); switching between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes (2; insufficient); and progression to regular smoking/increased smoking over time (7; low [4 studies comparing daily versus non-daily smoking]). Generally, limited strength of evidence grades were due to issues of temporality, using current menthol status as a proxy for use at initiation. Results from two meta-analyses suggested that non-menthol smokers are more likely to report daily versus non-daily smoking; and, non-menthol smokers report younger ages at smoking initiation.CONCLUSIONS: Based on the lack of longitudinal evidence coupled with the limited strength of evidence provided by the available studies, there is no clear, differential association between menthol (versus non-menthol) cigarette use and progression to regular smoking.


2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e12
Author(s):  
David J. K. Balfour ◽  
Neal L. Benowitz ◽  
Suzanne M. Colby ◽  
Dorothy K. Hatsukami ◽  
Harry A. Lando ◽  
...  

The topic of e-cigarettes is controversial. Opponents focus on e-cigarettes’ risks for young people, while supporters emphasize the potential for e-cigarettes to assist smokers in quitting smoking. Most US health organizations, media coverage, and policymakers have focused primarily on risks to youths. Because of their messaging, much of the public—including most smokers—now consider e-cigarette use as dangerous as or more dangerous than smoking. By contrast, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that e-cigarette use is likely far less hazardous than smoking. Policies intended to reduce adolescent vaping may also reduce adult smokers’ use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts. Because evidence indicates that e-cigarette use can increase the odds of quitting smoking, many scientists, including this essay’s authors, encourage the health community, media, and policymakers to more carefully weigh vaping’s potential to reduce adult smoking-attributable mortality. We review the health risks of e-cigarette use, the likelihood that vaping increases smoking cessation, concerns about youth vaping, and the need to balance valid concerns about risks to youths with the potential benefits of increasing adult smoking cessation. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print August 19, 2021: e1–e12. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306416 )


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip H. Smith ◽  
Ezinne Akpara ◽  
Raisa Haq ◽  
Mark El-Miniawi ◽  
Azure B. Thompson

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy C. Jao ◽  
Anna K. Veluz-Wilkins ◽  
Matthew J. Smith ◽  
Allison J. Carroll ◽  
Sonja Blazekovic ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1331-1338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Johnson ◽  
Yinjiao Ma ◽  
Sherri L Fisher ◽  
Alex T Ramsey ◽  
Li-Shiun Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction We examined past-12-month quit attempts and smoking cessation from 2006 to 2016 while accounting for demographic shifts in the US population. In addition, we sought to understand whether the current use of electronic cigarettes was associated with a change in past-12-month quit attempts and successful smoking cessation at the population level. Methods We analyzed data from 25- to 44-year-olds from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2006 to 2016 (N = 26,354) and the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) in 2006–2007, 2010–2011, and 2014–2015 (N = 33,627). Data on e-cigarette use were available in the 2014–2016 NHIS and 2014–2015 TUS-CPS surveys. Results Past-12-month quit attempts and smoking cessation increased in recent years compared with 2006. Current e-cigarette use was associated with higher quit attempts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.87 to 2.81, p < .001) and greater smoking cessation (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.21 to 2.21, p = .001) in the NHIS. Multivariable logistic regression of the TUS-CPS data showed that current e-cigarette use was similarly significantly associated with increased past-12-month quit attempts and smoking cessation. Significant interactions were found for smoking frequency (everyday and some-day smoking) and current e-cigarette use for both outcomes (p < .0001) with the strongest positive effects seen in everyday smokers. Conclusions Compared with 2006, past-12-month quit attempts and smoking cessation increased among adults aged 25–44 in recent years. Current e-cigarette use was associated with increased past-12-month quit attempts and successful smoking cessation among established smokers. These findings are relevant to future tobacco policy decisions. Implications E-cigarettes were introduced into the US market over the past decade. During this period, past-12-month quit attempts and smoking cessation have increased among US adults aged 25–44. These trends are inconsistent with the hypothesis that e-cigarette use is delaying quit attempts and leading to decreased smoking cessation. In contrast, current e-cigarette use was associated with significantly higher past-12-month quit attempts and past-12-month cessation. These findings suggest that e-cigarette use contributes to a reduction in combustible cigarette use among established smokers.


2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 685-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Baxter ◽  
E. Everson-Hock ◽  
J. Messina ◽  
L. Guillaume ◽  
J. Burrows ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (October) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Linnea Hedman ◽  
Maria Galanti ◽  
Lotta Ryk ◽  
Hans Gilljam ◽  
Louise Adermark

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 106880
Author(s):  
Danusha Selva Kumar ◽  
Meghan Peterson ◽  
Chenshu Zhang ◽  
Pebbles Fagan ◽  
Shadi Nahvi

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