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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Olivia Wackowski, MPH, M. Jane Lewis, DrPH, and Cristine D. Delnevo, PhD, MPH. School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 317 George Street, Suite 209, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, 732-235-9731, olivia.wackowski@umdnj.edu

Menthol cigarettes were originally marketed as “healthier” or “refreshing” alternatives to regular cigarettes. This raises concerns that smokers may mistakenly perceive these products to be less risky than other cigarettes when, in fact, recent tobacco control research suggests that menthols may be more addictive and dangerous than regular cigarettes. In general, research shows that smokers have a faulty understanding of the risks of cigarettes but little is known about smokers' risk perceptions for these particular products. This presentation will examine and discuss current risk perceptions of menthol cigarettes compared to regular cigarettes among New Jersey adults utilizing the results of a 2005 statewide random digit-dial telephone survey monitoring tobacco use behavior, knowledge, and attitudes. Few (3.4%) survey respondents believed menthol cigarettes to be less risky than regular cigarettes, while 22.1% believed menthols to be more risky than regular cigarettes. Current smokers were twice as likely to believe menthols to be riskier than nonsmokers (39.4% vs. 18.5%). Among menthol smokers, 27% believed menthols to be riskier than regular cigarettes, and 18-24 year olds and 24-44 year olds were most likely to believe menthols to be riskier than regular cigarettes (44.9% and 25.4%, respectively). Indeed, a significant proportion of this population, especially smokers and menthol smokers, perceive menthols to be somewhat more risky than regular cigarettes. Further research is needed to investigate how these perceptions developed, why they vary by age group and smoking status, how they may affect decisions to smoke menthol, and how they differ from those of researchers.

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