Dissonance in Young Adult Cigarillo Users’ Categorization of Concept Flavored and Unflavored Products

Abstract

This study asks young adult cigarillo users to categorize their preferred flavor in order to examine user consensus and potential methodological and regulatory implications of flavor name-based categorization systems. Young adult (21–28 years) cigarillo users (n = 426) named and categorized their favorite cigarillo flavor into one of seven categories: Fruit, Sweet and Candy, Mint, Alcohol, Menthol, Tobacco, and Other. Flavor responses were coded as characterizing (ex: Grape, Wine) or concept (ex: Jazz, Diamond) flavors. Variation within and between categories was assessed, including the presence of concept flavors and the placement of flavors in multiple categories. Of the 66 unique flavor names provided, participants placed 20 (30.1%) in more than one flavor category. Most of the Tobacco (76.9%) and Other (69.2%) flavor names appeared in multiple categories. The majority of flavor names in the Tobacco (69.2%) and Other (61.5%) categories were concept flavors. Concept flavors were placed in multiple categories (45.0%) twice as often as characterizing flavors (23.9%). This study has identified dissonance among cigarillo users’ flavor categorizations, particularly for concept flavored and unflavored products. Flavor names may obscure how and whether a product is flavored. Research on and regulation of flavored tobacco products should classify products by flavor additives rather than by name alone.

Flavour loyalty may predict cessation or substitution following a cigarillo flavour ban among young adults in the USA

“…This research relies on an individual’s own definition of what would be considered a flavour. Cigarillo users increasingly report being unsure whether they use flavoured products8 and users may disagree how and whether particular cigarillos are flavoured,45 possibly corresponding with the growing number of cigarillos available with non-characterising or concept flavours—those with names not explicitly indicating the product’s flavour, such as ‘Silver’, ‘Casino’ or ‘Wild Rush’ 46. Furthermore, chemical analysis of cigarillos shows variation in the level of high-intensity sweeteners present within unflavoured products47 as well as the presence of similar flavour additives in concept and explicitly flavoured cigarillos 48.…”