News and Research Round Up – Counter Tobacco

Welcome to CounterTobacco.org’s “News and Research Roundup!” Each month we post a summary of the latest research, reports, and news stories on counteracting tobacco product sales and marketing at the point of sale (POS). Keeping up with what’s happening in the POS movement all across the country can help you choose policies and strategies that work best for your community. New research can help provide support for your work and evidence for the importance of the “War in the Store.” Have a story you don’t want us to miss? E-mail it to us!

New Research

Flavored Tobacco

Research Letter: Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among US Youth Aged 12-17 Years, 2013-2014, JAMA
- A national survey found that the majority of youth ages 12-17 reported that the first tobacco product they tried was flavored (88.7% of ever hookah users, 81% of ever e-cigarette users, 65.4% of ever cigar users, and 50.1% of ever cigarette smokers). Youth also reported product flavoring as a top reason for using tobacco within the past 30 days (81.5% of e-cigarettes users, 78.9% of hookah users, 73.8% of cigar users, 69.3% of smokeless tobacco users, and 67.2% of snus users).
- News story: First-time tobacco users lured by flavorings, report says, Los Angeles Times

E-Cigarettes, Vape Shops, and Public Opinion

Public support for selected e-cigarette regulations and associations with overall information exposure and contradictory information exposure about e-cigarettes: Findings from a national survey of U.S. adults, Preventive Medicine
- This study surveyed U.S. adults and found support for 6 e-cigarette policies. Support varied from a low of 34% for banning flavors in e-cigarettes (although 38% had no opinion) to a high of 72% for requiring e-cigarette packages to label nicotine and harmful ingredients. In addition, 71% supported a ban on sales to minors, 66% supported requiring an addiction warning on packages, and 71% supported a ban on marketing and advertising to youth. People exposed to information about e-cigarettes, including 57% who were exposed to conflicting information, were less likely to support policies that restrict youth access or require nicotine, harmful ingredient and addiction warnings on labels. The researchers suggest that conflicting information exposure may cause confusion and undermine support for policies regulating e-cigarettes.
Tobacco Attitudes and Behaviors of Vape Shop Retailers in Los Angeles, American Journal of Health Behavior
- A survey of vape shop retailers in Los Angeles, CA revealed that 76% of retailers believed e-cigarettes are safer than combustible cigarettes, and about 25% believed e-cigarettes are completely safe. Many also believed that e-cigarettes are safer than cessation products approved by the FDA. About 14% of retailers reported using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes within the past month. This study points towards a need for vape shop retailer education on the benefits and harms of e-cigarettes.
Smokers’ attitudes and support for e-cigarette policies and regulation in the USA, Tobacco Control
- This survey of current smokers found that 62.5% did not know that e-cigarettes were unregulated by the FDA, but 83.5% agreed that they should be regulated for safety and quality. In addition, 86.6% supported warning labels and 87.7% supported e-cigarettes having the same minimum legal sale age as other tobacco products. Support was similarly high among e-cigarette users; however, e-cigarette users were less supportive of restrictions on indoor use (41.2%), flavor bans (44.3%) and advertising restrictions (55.5%).
Learn more about e-cigarettes at the point of sale and about the importance of public opinion surveys for community assessments and determining a point of sale tobacco control strategy .