Menthol Smoking and Nicotine Dependence among Black/African American Women Smokers Living in Low-Resource, Rural Communities

Dina M Jones, Margarete C Kulik, Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Sandilyn Bullock, Mignonne C Guy, Pebbles Fagan, Dina M Jones, Margarete C Kulik, Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Sandilyn Bullock, Mignonne C Guy, Pebbles Fagan

Abstract

Black/African American women from low-resource, rural communities bear a disproportionate burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. This study examined associations between menthol smoking and socioeconomic deprivation with nicotine dependence and quitting behaviors among Black/African American women cigarette and/or little cigar/cigarillo smokers, aged 18-50 living in low-resource, rural communities. Baseline survey data from a randomized controlled behavioral/intervention trial (#NCT03476837) were analyzed (n = 146). Outcomes included time to first tobacco product (cigarette/little cigar/cigarillo) use within 5 min of waking, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score, and ever attempting to quit cigarettes. Socioeconomic deprivation measures included education, income, and receiving supplemental nutritional assistance (SNAP) program benefits. In adjusted regression analyses, menthol smoking was associated with both greater FTND scores and time to first tobacco product use within 5 min of waking, but not ever attempting to quit cigarettes. Regardless of menthol status, only 25.0% of smokers reported that they would quit smoking if menthol cigarettes were banned. The proportion of smokers who smoked their first tobacco product within 5 min of waking increased slightly with greater socioeconomic deprivation. Additional research and targeted efforts are needed to reduce nicotine dependence among Black/African American women smokers living in rural, low-resource communities where access to cessation services is limited.

Keywords: African Americans; cessation; cigarette; cigarillo; little cigar; low income; menthol; nicotine dependence; rural; tobacco.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram showing the number of participants screened for eligibility, determined to be eligible, and enrolled as of 26 July 2021.

References

    1. DeSantis C.E., Miller K.D., Goding Sauer A., Jemal A., Siegel R.L. Cancer statistics for African Americans, 2019. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2019;69:211–233. doi: 10.3322/caac.21555.
    1. National Cancer Institute State Cancer Profiles. [(accessed on 23 April 2021)]; Available online: .
    1. Arkansas Department of Public Health, Chronic Disease Epidemiology Section, Epidemiology Branch, Center for Public Health Practice, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, Center for Health Advancement Tobacco Data Deck. [(accessed on 25 April 2021)];2018 Available online: .
    1. American Lung Association Tobacco Use in Racial and Ethnic Populations. [(accessed on 25 April 2021)]. Available online: .
    1. Truth Initiative Tobacco Nation: An Ongoing Crisis—Examining the Health and Policy Disparities of U.S. States with the Highest Smoking Rates. [(accessed on 25 April 2021)]. Available online: .
    1. Institute for Women’s Policy Research Status of Women in the States-Arkansas. [(accessed on 25 April 2021)]. Available online:
    1. Cornelius M.E., Wang T.W., Jamal A., Loretan C.G., Neff L.J. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults—United States, 2019. Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2020;69:1736–1742. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6946a4.
    1. Barbeau E.M., Krieger N., Soobader M.J. Working class matters: Socioeconomic disadvantage, race/ethnicity, gender, and smoking in NHIS 2000. Am. J. Public Health. 2004;94:269–278. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.94.2.269.
    1. Singh G.K., Jemal A. Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Mortality, Incidence, and Survival in the United States, 1950–2014: Over Six Decades of Changing Patterns and Widening Inequalities. J. Environ. Public Health. 2017;2017:2819372. doi: 10.1155/2017/2819372.
    1. Lawrence D., Rose A., Fagan P., Moolchan E.T., Gibson J.T., Backinger C.L. National patterns and correlates of mentholated cigarette use in the United States. Addiction. 2010;105:13–31. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03203.x.
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Public Online Data Analysis System (PDAS) National Survey on Drug Use and Health. [(accessed on 5 September 2021)];2019 Available online: .
    1. Christiansen B., Reeder K., Hill M., Baker T.B., Fiore M.C. Barriers to Effective Tobacco-Dependence Treatment for the Very Poor. J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs. 2012;73:874–884. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2012.73.874.
    1. Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee . Menthol Cigarettes and Public Health: Review of the Scientific Evidence and Recommendations. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration; Rockville, MD, USA: 2011.
    1. Muscat J.E., Liu H.-P., Stellman S.D., Richie J.P., Jr. Menthol smoking in relation to time to first cigarette and cotinine: Results from a community-based study. Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 2012;63:166–170. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.03.012.
    1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Menthol and Other Flavors in Tobacco Products. [(accessed on 5 September 2021)]; Available online: .
    1. Kuiper N.M., Gammon D., Loomis B., Falvey K., Wang T.W., King B.A., Rogers T. Trends in Sales of Flavored and Menthol Tobacco Products in the United States During 2011–2015. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2018;20:698–706. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntx123.
    1. Mattingly D.T., Hirschtick J.L., Meza R., Fleischer N.L. Trends in prevalence and sociodemographic and geographic patterns of current menthol cigarette use among U.S. adults, 2005–2015. Prev. Med. Rep. 2020;20:101227. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101227.
    1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Preliminary Scientific Evaluation of the Possible Public Health Effects of Menthol versus Nonmenthol Cigarettes. [(accessed on 24 April 2021)]; Available online: .
    1. Ahijevych K., Wewers M.E. Factors associated with nicotine dependence among African American women cigarette smokers. Res. Nurs. Health. 1993;16:283–292. doi: 10.1002/nur.4770160407.
    1. Rosenbloom J., Rees V.W., Reid K., Wong J., Kinnunen T. A cross-sectional study on tobacco use and dependence among women: Does menthol matter? Tob. Induc. Dis. 2012;10:19. doi: 10.1186/1617-9625-10-19.
    1. Sterling K., Fryer C., Pagano I., Jones D., Fagan P. Association between menthol-flavoured cigarette smoking and flavoured little cigar and cigarillo use among African-American, Hispanic, and white young and middle-aged adult smokers. Tob. Control. 2016;25:ii21–ii31. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053203.
    1. Sterling K., Berg C.J., Thomas A.N., Glantz S.A., Ahluwalia J.S. Factors Associated with Small Cigar Use Among College Students. Am. J. Health Behav. 2013;37:325–333. doi: 10.5993/AJHB.37.3.5.
    1. Sterling K.L., Fryer C.S., Pagano I., Fagan P. Little Cigars and Cigarillos Use Among Young Adult Cigarette Smokers in the United States: Understanding Risk of Concomitant Use Subtypes. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2016;18:2234–2242. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntw170.
    1. Cohn A., Cobb C.O., Niaura R.S., Richardson A. The Other Combustible Products: Prevalence and Correlates of Little Cigar/Cigarillo Use Among Cigarette Smokers. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2015;17:1473–1481. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntv022.
    1. Spears C.A., Jones D.M., Pechacek T.F., Ashley D.L. Use of other combustible tobacco products among priority populations of smokers: Implications for U.S. tobacco regulatory policy. Addict. Behav. 2019;93:194–197. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.01.031.
    1. Baker F., Ainsworth S.R., Dye J.T., Crammer C., Thun M.J., Hoffmann D., Repace J.L., Henningfield J.E., Slade J., Pinney J., et al. Health risks associated with cigar smoking. JAMA. 2000;284:735–740. doi: 10.1001/jama.284.6.735.
    1. National Cancer Institute . Cigars: Health Effects and Trends Smoking. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; Bethesda, MD, USA: 1998.
    1. County Health Rankings: Arkansas. [(accessed on 24 April 2021)]. Available online: .
    1. American Community Survey Quick Facts Phillips County, Arkansas; Lee County, Arkansas; Arkansas. [(accessed on 25 April 2021)]; Available online: .
    1. Biddle J., Louie S., Simmons L., Sharma R., Al-Mousawi H., Smith M.R., Porter A. Red County: County Life Expectancy Profile 2017. Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Minority Health Commission; Little Rock, AR, USA: 2018.
    1. Feeding America State-By-State Resource: The Impact of Coronavirus on Food Insecurity. [(accessed on 29 April 2021)]. Available online:
    1. Jager J., Putnick D.L., Bornstein M.H., II More Than Just Convenient: The Scientific Merits of Homogenous Convenience Samples. Monogr. Soc. Res. Child. Dev. 2017;82:13–30. doi: 10.1111/mono.12296.
    1. Bornstein M.H., Jager J., Putnick D.L. Sampling in developmental science: Situations, shortcomings, solutions, and standards. Dev. Rev. 2013;33:357–370. doi: 10.1016/j.dr.2013.08.003.
    1. Crosby R.A., Salazar L.F., Diclemente R.J., Lang D.L. Balancing rigor against the inherent limitations of investigating hard-to-reach populations. Health Educ. Res. 2010;25:1–5. doi: 10.1093/her/cyp062.
    1. Bonevski B., Randell M., Paul C., Chapman K., Twyman L., Bryant J., Brozek I., Hughes C. Reaching the hard-to-reach: A systematic review of strategies for improving health and medical research with socially disadvantaged groups. BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 2014;14:42. doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-14-42.
    1. Heatherton T.F., Kozlowski L.T., Frecker R.C., Fagerstrom K.O. The Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence: A revision of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire. Br. J. Addict. 1991;86:1119–1127. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01879.x.
    1. Baker T.B., Piper M.E., McCarthy D.E., Bolt D.M., Smith S.S., Kim S.-Y., Colby S., Conti D., Giovino G.A., Hatsukami D., et al. Time to first cigarette in the morning as an index of ability to quit smoking: Implications for nicotine dependence. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2007;9:S555–S570. doi: 10.1080/14622200701673480.
    1. Ahijevych K., Garrett B.E. The role of menthol in cigarettes as a reinforcer of smoking behavior. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2010;12:S110–S116. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntq203.
    1. Okuyemi K.S., Ahluwalia J.S., Ebersole-Robinson M., Catley D., Mayo M.S., Resnicow K. Does menthol attenuate the effect of bupropion among African American smokers? Addiction. 2003;98:1387–1393. doi: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2003.00443.x.
    1. Muscat J.E., Chen G., Knipe A., Stellman S.D., Lazarus P., Richie J.P. Effects of Menthol on Tobacco Smoke Exposure, Nicotine Dependence, and NNAL Glucuronidation. Cancer Epidemiol. Prev. Biomark. 2009;18:35–41. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0744.
    1. Collins C.C., Moolchan E.T. Shorter time to first cigarette of the day in menthol adolescent cigarette smokers. Addict. Behav. 2006;31:1460–1464. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2005.10.001.
    1. Smith S.S., Fiore M.C., Baker T.B. Smoking cessation in smokers who smoke menthol and non-menthol cigarettes. Addiction. 2014;109:2107–2117. doi: 10.1111/add.12661.
    1. Fagan P., Moolchan E.T., Hart A., Jr., Rose A., Lawrence D., Shavers V.L., Gibson J.T. Nicotine dependence and quitting behaviors among menthol and non-menthol smokers with similar consumptive patterns. Addiction. 2010;105:55–74. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03190.x.
    1. St. Helen G., Benowitz N.L., Ahluwalia J.S., Tyndale R.F., Addo N., Gregorich S.E., Pérez-Stable E.J., Lisa Sanderson C. Black Light Smokers: How Nicotine Intake and Carcinogen Exposure Differ Across Various Biobehavioral Factors. J. Natl. Med. Assoc. 2019;111:509–520. doi: 10.1016/j.jnma.2019.04.004.
    1. Chen A., Machiorlatti M., Krebs N.M., Muscat J.E. Socioeconomic differences in nicotine exposure and dependence in adult daily smokers. BMC Public Health. 2019;19:375. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6694-4.
    1. Siahpush M. Socioeconomic variations in nicotine dependence, self-efficacy, and intention to quit across four countries: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey. Tob. Control. 2006;15:iii71–iii75. doi: 10.1136/tc.2004.008763.
    1. Branstetter S.A., Mercincavage M., Muscat J.E. Predictors of the Nicotine Dependence Behavior Time to the First Cigarette in a Multiracial Cohort. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2015;17:819–824. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntu236.
    1. Leeman R.F., O’Malley S.S., White M.A., McKee S.A. Nicotine and food deprivation decrease the ability to resist smoking. Psychopharmacology. 2010;212:25–32. doi: 10.1007/s00213-010-1902-z.
    1. Adams G.B. An Empirical Analysis of the Association Between Cigarette Smoking and Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Am. J. Health Promot. 2016;32:161–169. doi: 10.1177/0890117116668481.
    1. Lund M. Social Inequality in Cigarette Consumption, Cigarette Dependence, and Intention to Quit among Norwegian Smokers. BioMed Res. Int. 2015;2015:835080. doi: 10.1155/2015/835080.
    1. Rath J.M., Villanti A.C., Williams V.F., Richardson A., Pearson J.L., Vallone D.M. Correlates of current menthol cigarette and flavored other tobacco product use among U.S. young adults. Addict. Behav. 2016;62:35–41. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.05.021.
    1. Glasser A.M., Johnson A.L., Rose S.W., Ganz O., Cantrell J., Delnevo C., Villanti A.C. Correlates of Cigar Use by Type and Flavor among US Young Adults: 2011–2015. Tob. Regul. Sci. 2017;3:59–71. doi: 10.18001/TRS.3.2(Suppl1).7.
    1. Villanti A.C., Mowery P.D., Delnevo C.D., Niaura R.S., Abrams D.B., Giovino G.A. Changes in the prevalence and correlates of menthol cigarette use in the USA, 2004–2014. Tob. Control. 2016;25:ii14. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053329.
    1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA Commits to Evidence-Based Actions Aimed at Saving Lives and Preventing Future Generations of Smokers. [(accessed on 29 April 2021)]; Available online: .
    1. Cadham C.J., Sanchez-Romero L.M., Fleischer N.L., Mistry R., Hirschtick J.L., Meza R., Levy D.T. The actual and anticipated effects of a menthol cigarette ban: A scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1055. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09055-z.
    1. Winickoff J.P., McMillen R.C., Vallone D.M., Pearson J.L., Tanski S.E., Dempsey J.H., Cheryl H., Klein J.D., David A. US Attitudes About Banning Menthol in Cigarettes: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey. Am. J. Public Health. 2011;101:1234–1236. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300146.
    1. Wackowski O.A., Delnevo C.D., Pearson J.L. Switching to E-Cigarettes in the Event of a Menthol Cigarette Ban. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2015;17:1286–1287. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntv021.
    1. Pacek L.R., Oliver J.A., Sweitzer M.M., McClernon F.J. Young adult dual combusted cigarette and e-cigarette users’ anticipated responses to a nicotine reduction policy and menthol ban in combusted cigarettes. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019;194:40–44. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.10.005.
    1. Rose S.W.P., Ganz O.D.M., Zhou Y.M.S., Carnegie B.E.M.P.H., Villanti A.C.P., Rath J.P., Hair E.C.P. Longitudinal Response to Restrictions on Menthol Cigarettes Among Young Adult US Menthol Smokers, 2011–2016. Am. J. Public Health. 2019;109:1400–1403. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305207.

Source: PubMed

スポンサーと協力者

医学的状態

薬物療法

3
購読する