Menthol use has increased over the past decade among US adults who smoke cigarettes, according to a study released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The City University of New York, reports News-Medical.Net.
The results, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, show that menthol use is much more common among adult smokers who are younger, from racial/ethnic minoritized groups and with mental health problems. Menthol use was common among about two in five cigarette smokers overall. Over 80 per cent of Black smokers preferred menthol in 2020, which is stable relative to prior reports.
To estimate trends in menthol use among adults who smoke cigarettes by sociodemographic, mental health and substance use variables, the researchers analyzed nationally representative annual data from 128,327 individuals ages 18 and older residing in the US from the 2008-2019 and 2020 from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
There was a significant overall increase in menthol cigarette use among adults smoking cigarettes from 34 per cent in 2008 to 41 per cent in 2019. In 2020, 43 per cent of adults who smoked cigarettes in the past-month used menthol. Menthol use was most common among Black adults (80 per cent). Over 50 per cent of Hispanic, female, young (ages 18-34), lesbian/gay, with serious psychological distress, and with cigar use also used menthol. Menthol use grew more rapidly among adults, among Hispanics, light cigarette users (1-5 per day) and those who smoked cigars, the report said.
“Our results suggest that banning menthol as a characterizing flavour in cigarettes by the US Food and Drug Administration could have a widespread impact on public health, especially among younger people and marginalized groups,” said Renee D. Goodwin, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia Mailman School.