Patterns of Tobacco Product Use and Correlates Among Adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study: A Latent Class Analysis

Introduction:
This text discusses a study that aimed to identify patterns of tobacco product use among adults in the United States and to explore the association between these patterns of use and socioeconomic status, dependence/addiction, past quit attempts, and withdrawal severity. The study used data from the first wave of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.

Key Points:

* The study identified four distinct groups of current tobacco users with distinct profiles.
* The four groups include cigarette-only users, smokeless tobacco users, users of all types of combustible tobacco, and e-cig and hookah users.
* Exclusive cigarette users were more likely to be older and female, and experienced higher dependency and withdrawal.
* Users of e-cigs and hookah were the younger, most educated of all four subgroups, and presented the lowest dependency and withdrawal among the four groups.
* The study found that polytobacco use potentially increases the health risks associated with cigarette smoking.
* Compared to cigarette smoking, polytobacco use has been associated with greater dependency and greater difficulty quitting.
* The study also found that dual tobacco users of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco experience higher levels of nicotine dependency and withdrawal when trying to quit.
* Hookah use has been associated with use of other tobacco products and past quit attempts.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is that as the tobacco industry and market evolves, it is crucial to understand the patterns of use of tobacco products and how they relate to demographics, dependency, withdrawal, and quit behavior. The study identifies four distinct groups of tobacco users and found that polytobacco use increases the health risks associated with cigarette smoking. The study suggests that FDA policy makers may want to discourage the use of tobacco products associated with higher tobacco dependency and products that may contribute to experiencing higher levels of withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit. The study also highlights the importance of targeting users more likely to use tobacco products that increase dependency and withdrawal, making quitting more difficult.

Kypriotakis, George, Jason D Robinson, Charles E Green, and Paul M Cinciripini. “Patterns of Tobacco Product Use and Correlates Among Adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study: A Latent Class Analysis.” Nicotine & Tobacco Research 20, no. suppl_1 (August 14, 2018): S81–87. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/nty025.