232296 National Patterns and Correlates of Menthol Cigarettes by Gender and Race/Ethnicity

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 : 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

Deirdre Lawrence, PhD, MPH , PinneyAssociates, Inc., Bethesda, MD
Allison Rose, MHS , Support to Tobacco Control Research Program, BRP/DCCPS/NCI, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Bethesda, MD
Pebbles Fagan, PhD, MPH , Tobacco Control Research Branch, BRP, DCCPS, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Eric Moolchan, MD , Alkermes Inc., National Institute on Drug Abuse, Cambridge, MA
James T. Gibson, BS , Information Management Services, Inc., Silver Spring, MD
Cathy L. Backinger, PhD, MPH , Tobacco Control Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
     
Aim: To examine the patterns and correlates of mentholated cigarette smoking by gender and race/ethnicity among adult smokers in the United States

Design: Data on adult smokers from the 2003 and 2006/2007 Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Surveys.

Measurements: The associations between sociodemographic and smoking variables were examined with multivariate logistic regression models. These models predicting current use of mentholated cigarettes were also stratified by gender and race/ethnicity

Findings: Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that Black smokers were 10-11 times more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes than White smokers (men: OR=11.59, CI 10.19-13.17; women: OR=10.12, CI 8.83-1.60). With the exception of American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo smokers, non-White smokers were significantly more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes than were White smokers. Additional significant factors associated with mentholated cigarette smoking in the total and gender-stratified models included being unmarried (never married: OR=1.21, CI 1.12-1.31; divorced/separated: OR=1.13, CI 1.05-1.21), being unemployed (OR=1.24, CI 1.10-1.39), and living in a nonmetropolitan area (OR=0.87, CI 0.81-0.94). Race/ethnicity-stratified analyses showed that women were more likely than men to smoke mentholated cigarettes (OR=1.64, CI 1.55-1.73). Among Black individuals, young adults (18-24 years old) were four times more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes compared with individuals 65 years and older.

Conclusions: Race/ethnicity, gender, and age are significant correlates of mentholated cigarette smoking among current smokers. Given the potential untoward health effects of this additive, continued surveillance of the prevalence and correlates of mentholated cigarette use among diverse sociodemographic groups is warranted to inform appropriate interventions.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe gender and racial/ethnic differences in patterns of menthol cigarette smoking in the U.S.

Keywords: Vulnerable Populations, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am familiar with the analyses to be presented.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5026.0: The Disproportionate Burden of Menthol Cigarettes among Minorities, Women, and Youth: National Datasets to Build the Evidence Base