I Crave a Blunt, I Don’t Crave a Cigarillo”

A Focus Group Study on Perceptions of Nicotine and Addiction among US Adults Who Currently Smoke Little Cigars or Cigarillos

Bibliographic Data

ID15499203
AuthorsEmily E Hackworth (0000-0002-5078-5710, University of South Carolina), Charity A Ntansah (0009-0003-1488-6375, University of South Carolina), Katherine Henderson (0000-0001-9905-8648, Georgia State University), Di Pei (0000-0002-8780-185X, Georgia State University), Reed M Reynolds (0000-0003-1983-5035, University of Massachusetts Boston), Hue Trong Duong (0000-0001-8742-1040, Georgia State University), Bo Yang (0000-0001-5834-6002, University of Arizona), David L Ashley (0000-0002-1060-5893, Georgia State University), James F Thrasher (0000-0001-6418-4863, University of South Carolina), Lucy Popova (0000-0002-3450-4579, Georgia State University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume20
Issue6
Pages5086-5086
Publication date2023-03-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph20065086
PMID36981995
OpenAlexW4324144285
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited40

While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s proposal to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes is gaining traction, it is still undetermined whether the policy will also include other combustible tobacco products, such as little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs), and how such a policy should be communicated given the patterns of use and perceptions around LCCs. This study examined perceptions of nicotine and addiction related to LCC use and involved data collection from eight semi-structured virtual focus groups conducted in Summer 2021 in the US. Participants were adults who reported past-30-day use of LCCs, consisting of African American males ( n = 9), African American females ( n = 9), white males ( n = 14), and white females ( n = 11). Participants discussed their perceptions of nicotine and addiction in general and in relation to LCC use. Inductive thematic analysis of transcripts was conducted. Differences across race and sex groups were examined. Participants did not consider nicotine to be a characterizing feature of LCCs; rather, they generally associated nicotine with cigarettes. Participants' views of nicotine and addiction related to LCCs were discussed along four dimensions: context of use, frequency of use, the presence of cravings, and whether a product is modified (e.g., by adding marijuana). Social and infrequent use, a lack of cravings, and the use of LCCs for marijuana were considered indicative of a lack of addiction and reasons not to be concerned about nicotine in LCCs. Because perceptions of nicotine and addiction related to LCCs differ from those of cigarettes, communications about a reduced nicotine policy that includes LCCs should consider these differences to ensure the policy is understood by people who currently use LCCs and to prevent people who use cigarettes from switching to LCCs

Addiction · Context (archaeology · Environmental health · Geography · Nicotine · Population · Psychiatry · Smokeless tobacco · Tobacco use · Media Influence and Health · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Psychology · Smoking Behavior and Cessation

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access