Flavoured tobacco product restrictions in Massachusetts associated with reductions in adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette use.

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a study examining the relationship between tobacco control policies and adolescent tobacco use in Massachusetts. The study focuses on three specific policies: flavored tobacco product restrictions, Tobacco 21 policies, and smoke-free laws prohibiting e-cigarettes. The study uses data from the Massachusetts Youth health Survey to evaluate the associations between these policies and adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette use, as well as whether policy effects vary by age.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the Massachusetts Youth health Survey from 2011-2017, and includes 9988 adolescents for cigarette use and 10 168 for e-cigarette use.
* The study examines three tobacco control policies: flavored tobacco product restrictions, Tobacco 21 policies, and smoke-free laws prohibiting e-cigarettes.
* The study finds that increasing implementation of flavored tobacco product restrictions is associated with a decrease in the level of cigarette use among users, with the largest reductions among 14 and 18 year olds.
* The study finds limited evidence that tobacco 21 policies or smoke-free laws prohibiting e-cigarettes are associated with adolescent cigarette or e-cigarette use.
* The study finds that flavored tobacco product restrictions are associated with a reduction in adolescent e-cigarette use.
* The study controls for local unmeasured factors, year fixed effects, and tobacco-control activities that occurred over the study period.
* The study finds that adolescents decreased their use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes in response to the local implementation of flavored tobacco product restrictions, while 18 year olds decreased their cigarette use in response to tobacco 21 restrictions.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is that local tobacco control policies, particularly flavored tobacco product restrictions, can be effective in reducing adolescent tobacco use. The study highlights the importance of municipalities enacting stricter tobacco control policies when not pre-empted by state law. The findings suggest that comprehensive, multilevel efforts are needed to decrease tobacco use among adolescents.

hawkins SS, Kruzik C, O’Brien M, Levine Coley R. Flavoured tobacco product restrictions in Massachusetts associated with reductions in adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette use. Tobacco control. 2022;31(4):576-579. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056159