Prevalence of and disparities in adolescents' susceptibility to novel oral nicotine products marketed as "tobacco-free".

Introduction:
This text discusses a study examining the prevalence and disparities in adolescents' susceptibility to novel oral nicotine products marketed as "tobacco-free." The study aims to understand whether these products appeal predominantly to adolescents already susceptible to inhalable nicotine products or attract new users.

Key Points:

* The study surveyed 3129 ninth and tenth-grade students in Southern California who had never used any nicotine product.
* Susceptibility was highest for e-cigarettes (19.7%), followed by cigarettes (15.0%) and nicotine gum, lozenges, tablets, and/or gummies (15.0%), and nicotine pouches (8.7%).
* Dual susceptibility to oral and inhalable products was higher in cisgender female and non-cisgender (vs. cisgender male) adolescents, hispanic adolescents (vs. asian), lower-socioeconomic status adolescents, and sexual minority adolescents.
* Oral nicotine products may reduce exposure to harmful and potentially harmful constituents compared to inhalable nicotine products but are not safe for adolescent use.
* Prior to regulatory decision-making regarding the marketing of oral nicotine products, it is important to understand the extent to which youth are susceptible to these emerging products.

Main Message:
The study found that adolescents in Southern California may be more susceptible to e-cigarettes than other nicotine/tobacco products. however, appreciable numbers may be susceptible to oral nicotine products, including some youth who might not otherwise use nicotine and youth from populations historically impacted by tobacco-related health disparities. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor susceptibility to these emerging products among youth from historically targeted populations to protect youth through regulatory decision-making.

Vogel, E. a., Barrington-Trimis, J. L., harlow, a. F., Wong, M., Cho, J., han, D.-h., Leventhal, a. M., & Tackett, a. P. (2023). Prevalence of and disparities in adolescents’ susceptibility to novel oral nicotine products marketed as “tobacco-free”. Preventive Medicine, 166, 107387–107387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107387