Menthol Cigarette Smoking among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adults

Abstract

Background Menthol can mask the harshness and taste of tobacco, making menthol cigarettes easier to use and increasing their appeal among vulnerable populations. The tobacco industry has targeted youth, women, and racial minorities with menthol cigarettes, and these groups smoke menthol cigarettes at higher rates. The tobacco industry has also targeted the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities with tobacco product marketing. Purpose To assess current menthol cigarette smoking by sexual orientation among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Methods Data were obtained from the 2009–2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey, a national landline and cellular telephone survey of non-institutionalized U.S. adults aged ≥18 years, to compare current menthol cigarette smoking between LGBT (n=2,431) and heterosexual/straight (n=110,841) adults. Data were analyzed during January–April 2014 using descriptive statistics and logistic regression adjusted for sex, age, race, and educational attainment. Results Among all current cigarette smokers, 29.6% reported usually smoking menthol cigarettes in the past 30 days. Menthol use was significantly higher among LGBT smokers, with 36.3% reporting that the cigarettes they usually smoked were menthol compared to 29.3% of heterosexual/straight smokers (p<0.05); this difference was particularly prominent among LGBT females (42.9%) compared to heterosexual/straight women (32.4%) (p<0.05). Following adjustment, LGBT smokers had greater odds of usually smoking menthol cigarettes than heterosexual/straight smokers (OR=1.31, 95% CI=1.09, 1.57). Conclusions These findings suggest that efforts to reduce menthol cigarette use may have the potential to reduce tobacco use and tobacco-related disease and death among LGBT adults.

Demographic, Healthcare, and Contextual Factors Associated with Smoking Status Among Sexual Minority Women

“…Prior research suggests that a higher proportion of SMW than heterosexual women smoke a mentholated brand of cigarette (42.9% vs. 32.4%, respectively). 26 Menthol use in the current sample (62.4%) was higher than that in the published literature (39.6%), 27 likely due to the relatively high percentage of racial/ethnic minorities, who report higher rates of menthol use. 27 Menthol use has been associated with higher levels of nicotine dependency and more difficulty in quitting smoking.…”

Tobacco Product Use Among Sexual Minority Adults

“…2–12 Most recently, data from the 2012–2013 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS) found that 27.7% of LGB adults reported current cigarette use compared with 17.3% of straight adults. 5 Sexual minority smokers are also more likely than their straight peers to smoke menthol cigarettes, 12 and other data suggest this pattern extends beyond cigarettes, showing higher prevalence of cigar, e-cigarette, and hookah use among sexual minorities. 5,9 …”

A tale of two cities: exploring the retail impact of flavoured tobacco restrictions in the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota

“…While the policies in Minneapolis and Saint Paul were not associated with increased availability and advertisement of menthol tobacco, they also do not restrict the sale of these products. Menthol tobacco is a public health concern as these products are popular among youth11 and groups that are disproportionately harmed by tobacco such as African-Americans11 and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people 12. Furthermore, there is also evidence menthol could make tobacco harder to quit 13…”