Flavored Tobacco Product Use in Youth and Adults: Findings From the First Wave of the PATH Study (2013-2014)

Introduction: This article reports on the first wave of data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, which examines the use of tobacco products with characterizing flavors in both youth and adults. The study focuses on the prevalence and reasons for use of flavored tobacco products, the proportion of ever tobacco users who report that their first product was flavored, and correlates of current flavored tobacco product use in youth, young adults, and older adults.

Key Points:

* The study finds that current flavored tobacco product use is highest in youth (80%) and young adults (73%), and lowest in older adults (29%).
* Flavor was a primary reason for using a given tobacco product, particularly among youth.
* Eighty-one percent of youth and 86% of young adult ever tobacco users reported that their first product was flavored versus 54% of adults aged 25 and older.
* In multivariable models, reporting that one's first tobacco product was flavored was associated with a 13% higher prevalence of current tobacco use among youth ever tobacco users and a 32% higher prevalence of current tobacco use among adult ever users.
* The study also found that flavored tobacco products, especially menthol cigarettes, may serve as starter products for young tobacco users.

Main Message: The study suggests that flavored tobacco products, particularly menthol cigarettes, play a significant role in attracting young users and serving as starter products for regular tobacco use. The findings add to the evidence base that stricter regulation of flavored tobacco products is needed to protect young people from the harms of tobacco use. The study underscores the importance of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ongoing efforts to regulate tobacco products, including the regulation of flavors in tobacco products. The FDA should consider banning all characterizing flavors, including menthol, in all tobacco products to protect public health, particularly among youth and young adults.

Villanti, Andrea C, Amanda L. Johnson, Bridget K Ambrose, K Michael Cummings, Cassandra Stanton, and Shyanika W Rose. “Flavored Tobacco Product Use in Youth and Adults: Findings From the First Wave of the PATH Study (2013-2014).” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 53, no. 2 (2017): 139–51.