Menthol Smoking and Nicotine Dependence among Black/African American Women Smokers Living in Low-Resource, Rural Communities
Open Access
- 16 October 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (20), 10877
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010877
Abstract
Black/African American women from low-resource, rural communities bear a disproportionate burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. This study examined associations between menthol smoking and socioeconomic deprivation with nicotine dependence and quitting behaviors among Black/African American women cigarette and/or little cigar/cigarillo smokers, aged 18–50 living in low-resource, rural communities. Baseline survey data from a randomized controlled behavioral/intervention trial (#NCT03476837) were analyzed (n = 146). Outcomes included time to first tobacco product (cigarette/little cigar/cigarillo) use within 5 min of waking, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score, and ever attempting to quit cigarettes. Socioeconomic deprivation measures included education, income, and receiving supplemental nutritional assistance (SNAP) program benefits. In adjusted regression analyses, menthol smoking was associated with both greater FTND scores and time to first tobacco product use within 5 min of waking, but not ever attempting to quit cigarettes. Regardless of menthol status, only 25.0% of smokers reported that they would quit smoking if menthol cigarettes were banned. The proportion of smokers who smoked their first tobacco product within 5 min of waking increased slightly with greater socioeconomic deprivation. Additional research and targeted efforts are needed to reduce nicotine dependence among Black/African American women smokers living in rural, low-resource communities where access to cessation services is limited.Funding Information
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (U54MD002329)
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Factors Associated With Small Cigar Use Among College StudentsAmerican Journal of Health Behavior, 2013
- Menthol smoking in relation to time to first cigarette and cotinine: Results from a community-based studyRegulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2012
- A cross-sectional study on tobacco use and dependence among women: Does menthol matter?Tobacco Induced Diseases, 2012
- The Role of Menthol in Cigarettes as a Reinforcer of Smoking BehaviorNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2010
- Nicotine and food deprivation decrease the ability to resist smokingPsychopharmacology, 2010
- Effects of Menthol on Tobacco Smoke Exposure, Nicotine Dependence, and NNAL GlucuronidationCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 2009
- Time to first cigarette in the morning as an index of ability to quit smoking: Implications for nicotine dependenceNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2007
- Socioeconomic variations in nicotine dependence, self-efficacy, and intention to quit across four countries: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country SurveyTobacco Control, 2006
- Factors associated with nicotine dependence among African American women cigarette smokersResearch in Nursing & Health, 1993
- The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence: a revision of the Fagerstrom Tolerance QuestionnaireBritish Journal of Addiction, 1991