Understanding the growth in moist snuff: a mixed methods study

描述(申请人提供)：尽管美国的卷烟消费持续下降，但湿鼻烟是美国最受欢迎的无烟烟草(SLT)形式，其消费在过去十年中增长了50%。此外，最大的增长发生在过去五年。据信，导致湿鼻烟增长的因素包括湿鼻烟品牌与香烟之间的价格差异，以及积极的行业营销努力，利用清洁的室内空气法规，并支持与香烟同时使用。然而，关于SLT使用的数据，包括湿鼻烟，在大多数调查中很少收集，而且调查内容很少超出当前的使用范围。因此，控烟界尚未观察到其他数据来源所指出的SLT消费普遍增加的趋势。尽管1992年NCI发表的关于SLT的专著强烈建议所有国家烟草调查都包括关于SLT使用的问题，以及评估使用动机、风险认知和戒烟尝试的问题，但这仍然是事实。自NCI专著出版以来的近20年里，仍然严重缺乏评估SLT使用模式和监测趋势所需的数据，最近使用量的增加表明了巨大的需求。这项探索性研究建议描述了一项计划，以解决关于使用潮湿鼻烟和无烟烟草的知识库中的空白。因此，我们将：1)领导焦点小组，了解烟草使用者对湿鼻烟特征和品牌的看法；2)开发和完善调查工具，进行认知测试，以评估湿鼻烟的流行率和影响其使用的因素，包括知识、态度、动机和风险认知；3)对大约1,560名烟草使用者进行具有全国代表性的基于人群的网络调查，其中至少包括460名当前湿鼻烟使用者。因此，这项拟议研究的意义在于，它有可能更好地了解湿鼻烟的使用情况及其使用者的态度和看法，这对指导和指导烟草控制工作至关重要。 公共卫生相关性：这项研究项目的目的是更好地了解无烟烟草使用的模式和趋势，特别是使用潮湿鼻烟。拟议研究与公共卫生的相关性在于，它有能力解决有关湿鼻烟使用的知识以及其使用者的态度和看法方面的重要差距，这对于告知和指导烟草控制工作至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While cigarette consumption in the U.S. continues to decline, consumption of moist snuff, the most popular form of smokeless tobacco (SLT) in the U.S. has increased 50 percent over the past decade. Moreover, the greatest increases occurred in the last five years. Factors believed to have contributed to the growth of moist snuff include price differentials by moist snuff brand and compared to cigarettes as well as aggressive industry marketing efforts exploiting clean indoor air laws and endorsing concurrent use with cigarettes. However, data on SLT use, including moist snuff, is collected infrequently, if at all, on most surveys and survey content rarely extends beyond current use. Hence, the tobacco control community has yet to observe trends in the widespread increase in SLT consumption noted in other data sources. This is despite the fact that the 1992 NCI monograph on SLT strongly recommended that all national tobacco surveys include questions on SLT use as well as questions to assess motivation to use, risk perceptions, and quit attempts. In the nearly two decades since the NCI monograph was published, the data needed to assess patterns of SLT use and monitor trends are still sorely lacking and the recent increases in use point to a great need. This exploratory research proposal describes a plan to address gaps in the knowledge base regarding use of moist snuff and smokeless tobacco. Accordingly, we will: 1) conduct focus groups to understand tobacco users' perceptions of moist snuff features and brands, 2) develop and refine a survey instrument, which will undergo conduct cognitive testing, to assess the prevalence of moist snuff and the factors that are influencing its use including knowledge, attitudes, motivation, and risk perceptions, and 3) conduct a nationally representative population-based Web survey of approximately 1,560 tobacco users, including a minimum of 460 current moist snuff users. Thus, the significance of this proposed research is its potential to generate a better understanding of moist snuff use as well as the attitudes and perceptions of its users which is vital to informing and directing tobacco control efforts. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The purpose of this research project is to better understand the patterns and trends of smokeless tobacco use, particularly use of moist snuff. The relevance of the proposed research to public health is its ability to address important gaps in knowledge of moist snuff use as well as the attitudes and perceptions of its users which is vital to informing and directing tobacco control efforts.