ADKINS, SARAH, NANCY E. SHERWOOD, MARY

Aims The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between age of cigarette smoking initiation and cigarette purchasing patterns on menthol smoking among current smokers. Design Secondary analyses were conducted using logistic regression with balanced replicated weights. Setting Data from the 2003 and 2006/07 Tobacco Use Supplement (TUS) to the Current Population Survey (CPS), collected by the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Census Bureau, formed the basis for this investigation. Participants A total of 66 145 current smokers who participated in the TUS CPS administration in 2003 and 2006/07 were examined. Measurements Demographic characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity, age, education and income), smoking frequency, purchase type (pack, carton, or both), age of initiation and menthol cigarette use were assessed. Findings One-quarter of the sample smoked menthol cigarettes; most purchased their cigarettes by the pack when rather than by the carton; average age of cigarette smoking initiation was 18 years; and females, ethnic/racial minorities and younger participants were more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes compared with males, whites or older respondents. Other demographic factors associated with menthol cigarette use among current smokers included a high school education (the prevalence of menthol use among this cohort was greater than either those with less education or those with more). The multivariate logistic model only marginally revealed that age of smoking initiation predicted menthol smoking: findings are suggestive that the longer the delay of initiation the more likely that an individual smoked menthol cigarettes [odds ratio (OR) = 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.01]. In addition, relative to those who purchased cigarettes by the pack, smokers who purchased cigarettes by the carton were less (OR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.81-0.91) likely to be menthol smokers. Conclusions Menthol smokers in the United States are more likely to be female, younger, from ethnic minority groups, and to have a high school education. The findings that menthol smokers in the U.S. tend to start smoking later than smokers of other types of cigarettes are suggestive only and require further study.

Strong smoke-free public policies may provide protection against COPD hospitalizations, particularly after 12 months, with the potential to save lives and decrease health care costs.

The stage-specific, tailored policy-focused intervention acted as a value-added resource to local smoke-free campaigns by promoting readiness for policy, as well as actual policy change in rural communities. Although actual policy change and percent covered by the policies were modest, these areas need additional resources and efforts to build capacity, build demand, and translate and disseminate science in order to accelerate smoke-free policy change and reduce the enormous toll from tobacco in these high-risk communities.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess attitudes and behaviors related to smoke-free policy among undergraduate student alcohol drinkers on a campus in a community with smoke-free bars. Design and Sample This was a secondary data analysis of a study in which participants completed mailed surveys assessing demographic characteristics, attitudes and behaviors related to alcohol and tobacco use and smoke-free policy (n=337). Opinion and behavior items were summarized descriptively; associations were examined using Kruskal Wallis tests and chi-square tests of association. Logistic regression tested for predictors of importance of smoke-free policy. Results Respondents were predominantly female and Caucasian; mean age 20.3 years. One-fourth were current smokers. Seventy-nine percent said the community smoke-free law had no effect on frequency of visiting bars. Eighty-seven percent said smoke-free policy in campus buildings was ‘somewhat’ or ‘very important’. Predictors of perceived importance of smoke-free policy included gender and smoking status. Conclusions Most smokers in this sample did not experience a change in their motivation to quit smoking or in number of cigarettes smoked daily. Implementation of a community smoke-free law did not reduce the likelihood of visiting bars. Women and nonsmokers were more likely to rate smoke-free campus policy as very important.