ENDS Flavors

It's usually necessary to view the PDF version to access the full study.

• This page will attempt to address the following questions:

FAQ: Why are flavored ENDS products important to people who smoke?

FAQ: Why are flavored ENDS products important to people trying to prevent relapse to smoking?

FAQ: Do flavors entice youth to illegally use ENDS products?

FAQ: When comparing continuum of risk, how do flavored ENDS products compare to smoking?

FAQ: Are the flavors a threat to public health?

Studies / Papers - Use of Flavors (Youth to Sr. Citizens)

2020: Choice and variety-seeking of e-liquids and flavour (flavor) categories by New Zealand smokers using an electronic cigarette: a longitudinal study

• Variety-seeking behaviour (behavior) was common and typically reported within the first 12 weeks of participants’ e-cigarette-assisted attempt to transition away from smoking. Policies allowing diverse e-liquid flavours at specialist stores only could support users’ variety-seeking and potentially create opportunities to couple e-liquid purchasing occasions with cessation advice during the first months of a transition attempt.
• (Link above is to the PDF version)
• Citation: Mei-Ling Blank, MPH, Janet Hoek, PhD, Choice and variety-seeking of e-liquids and flavour categories by New Zealand smokers using an electronic cigarette: a longitudinal study, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, , ntaa248, doi:10.1093/ntr/ntaa248
• Acknowledgement: Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund Grant (17-UOO-129) to Janet Hoek (PI), Mei-Ling Blank (AI), Tamlin Conner (AI), Shelagh Ferguson (AI), and Lee Thompson (AI). Both authors are members of ASPIRE 2025, a research collaboration working to achieve the New Zealand Government's Smokefree 2025 goal.

2015: The Impact of Flavor Descriptors on Nonsmoking Teens’ and Adult Smokers’ Interest in Electronic Cigarettes

• Nonsmoking teens’ interest in e-cigarettes was very low.
• Adult smokers’ interest was significantly higher overall and for each flavor.
• Teen interest did not vary by flavor, but adult interest did.
• Past-30-day adult e-cigarette users had the greatest interest in e-cigarettes, and their interest was most affected by flavor.
• Nonsmoking teens who had never tried e-cigarettes had the lowest interest in flavors, followed by adults who had never tried e-cigarettes
• PDF Version
• Citation: Saul Shiffman, PhD, Mark A Sembower, MS, Janine L Pillitteri, PhD, Karen K Gerlach, PhD, MPH, Joseph G Gitchell, BA, The Impact of Flavor Descriptors on Nonsmoking Teens’ and Adult Smokers’ Interest in Electronic Cigarettes, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 17, Issue 10, October 2015, Pages 1255–1262, doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntu333
• Acknowledgement: This work was supported by NJOY, a company that markets electronic cigarettes, but does not make or sell any combustible tobacco products. All authors work for Pinney Associates and provide consulting services to GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare on their stop-smoking medications and to NJOY, Inc. on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). SS and JGG also own an interest in a novel nicotine medication in development. The study sponsor was involved in discussion of the study design, but had no role in study execution, data collection, data analysis, or writing of the manuscript, nor did the sponsor review the manuscript prior to submission.

2013: Adolescent Males' Awareness of and Willingness to Try Electronic Cigarettes

• Only two participants (< 1%) had previously tried e-cigarettes.
• Among those who had not tried e-cigarettes, most (67%) had heard of them. Awareness was higher among older and non-Hispanic adolescents.
• Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) participants were willing to try either a plain or flavored e-cigarette, but willingness to try plain versus flavored varieties did not differ.
• Smokers were more willing to try any e-cigarette than nonsmokers.
• Nonsmokers who had more negative beliefs about the typical smoker were less willing to try e-cigarettes.
• PDF Version
• Citation: Pepper, J. K., Reiter, P. L., McRee, A.-L., Cameron, L. D., Gilkey, M. B., & Brewer, N. T. (2013). Adolescent Males’ Awareness of and Willingness to Try Electronic Cigarettes. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(2), 144–150. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.09.014
• Acknowledgement: : Support for this study was provided by the American Cancer Society (MSRG-06-259-01-CPPB), the Cancer Control Education Program at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (R25 CA57726), the National Institutes of Health (P50CA105632 and P30CA016058), and a

Studies / Papers - Youth

2020: Report Summary: Perverse Psychology How Anti-Vaping Campaigners Created the Youth Vaping “Epidemic”

• It is reasonable for anti-tobacco advocates to worry about youth experimentation with nicotine, but the evidence is clear that their interventions have backfired and made the problem worse. Their attempts to dissuade teenagers from vaping increased their awareness of the behavior, made it more attractive, and convinced them that everyone around them was doing it.
• Anti-tobacco advocates argue that the government can end the “epidemic” by raising the minimum tobacco age to 21, banning non-tobacco e-cigarette flavors, and increasing funding for anti-vaping education. But, as this paper has demonstrated, these measures will not only fail, they will actually make matters worse by increasing the coolness of vaping and youth attraction to it.
• Teen vaping did not escalate despite the increased anti-vaping messaging. Adolescents’ curiosity and subsequent experimentation with vaping rose because of anti-vaping messaging.
• PDF of Full report

2020: Paper: Intended and Unintended Effects of Banning Menthol Cigarettes

• Menthol bans significantly increased non-menthol cigarette smoking among youths, resulting in no overall net change in youth smoking rates.
• Menthol bans shifted smokers’ cigarette purchases away from grocery stores and gas stations to First Nations reserves (where the menthol bans do not bind).
• PDF Full Paper

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