Amplifying the menthol cigarette ban’s impact in priority populations with a quit smoking campaign

Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT: PROJECT 2 In the US, 18.5 million people smoke menthol cigarettes. FDA has proposed a restriction to end the sale of menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes. The benefits of ending the sale of menthol could be dramatically amplified by quit smoking messages that give menthol smokers the tools they need to quit smoking altogether, rather than switch to non-menthol cigarettes. The primary goal of Project 2’s proposed research as part of the UNC TCORS is to evaluate whether the benefits of ending the sale of menthol cigarettes could be amplified by quit smoking messages for people who smoke menthol. The project will also provide rigorous causal data about the impact of a menthol cigarette restriction on cigarette purchases. To achieve these goals, we will first develop messages to encourage menthol smokers to quit smoking using our team’s multi-phase message development process involving expert feedback, focus groups, and an experiment with a nationally representative sample of menthol smokers. We then will evaluate a menthol cigarette restriction alone, and a restriction paired with quit smoking messages, in an RCT. The RCT will leverage our team’s Mini Mart (i.e., a small convenience store designed for research), allowing for greater external validity of study findings and for measurement of consumer behavior in the context of a shopping trip. The Mini Mart is uniquely suited to test the interaction of interventions including proposed restrictions and messages. Our proposed research will also shed light on the psychological mechanisms through which ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and quit smoking messages influence consumer purchasing behavior, using mixed-methods mediation techniques. Expected results of this project will include audience-informed messaging to encourage menthol cigarette smokers to quit smoking altogether, rigorous causal data of the impact of ending the sale of menthol on cigarette purchases, and an understanding of whether messages can amplify the benefits of ending the sale of menthol. This project aligns with the UNC TCORS Center theme of building the science for effective public health decision-making about flavored tobacco products.