A Risk-Continuum Categorization of Product Use Among US Youth Tobacco Users

Conclusions:
Curbing tobacco use warrants research on users of more than one tobacco-product categories according to the risk-continuum categorization.

Implications:
We present a risk-continuum categorization of product-use patterns among tobacco users not older than 17 years. We classify tobacco users into five mutually exclusive product-use patterns: cigarette only users, non-cigarette combustible only users, noncombustible only users, dual use, and polytobacco use. This categorization overcomes limitations in current literature on tobacco-use patterns, which include exclusion of certain products (eg, e-cigarettes) and product-use patterns (eg, exclusive users of non-cigarette products), and inconsistent classification of tobacco users. It is parsimonious yet complex enough to retain differential characteristics of sub-tobacco users based on number (single, dual, polytobacco) and categories (cigarettes, non-cigarette combustibles, noncombustibles) of tobacco products consumed.

Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - June 10, 2016 Category: Addiction Authors: El-Toukhy, S., Choi, K. Tags: Original Investigation Source Type: research