Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
Penn State Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2019 Jun 21;21(7):955-961. doi: 10.1093/ntr/nty169.
Price affects the demand for cigarettes, indicating that smokers, perhaps especially lower income smokers, may choose low nicotine cigarettes (LNC) if they were commercially available and cost less than fully nicotinized conventional cigarettes. The present study tests the hypothesis that smokers will prefer purchasing LNCs at a lower price point than conventional cigarettes given a fixed budget.
A laboratory-based, within-subject, 3 (nicotine level) × 3 (price) factorial design provided smokers opportunities to purchase standard (0.7 per mg tobacco), moderately reduced (0.3 mg), and very low-nicotine (0.03 mg). Spectrum research cigarettes according to an escalating price structure (low-nicotine costing the least, high-nicotine costing the most) given a fixed, laboratory-provided "income." Participants were 20 overnight-abstinent smokers who previously smoked and rated each of the three cigarettes.
Overall, smokers rated LNCs as less satisfying compared with standard nicotine cigarettes (SNC), t(18) = -5.40, p < .001. In the free-choice session, subjects were more likely to choose LNC that cost less compared with SNC that cost more, even after an 8-hour abstinence period, F(2, 19) = 4.32, p = .03. Those selecting LNC or moderate nicotine cigarettes after abstinence smoked more cigarettes per day, t(17) = 2.40, p = .03 and had higher dependence scores on the HONC, t(18) = 2.21, p = .04 that those selecting SNC.
The results indicate that smokers' response to price points when purchasing cigarettes may extend to LNC if these were commercially available. Differential cigarette prices based on nicotine content may result in voluntary selection of less addicting products.
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule that would reduce nicotine content in commercially available cigarettes. However, it is not known how smokers may respond in an environment where products of differing nicotine content and of differing prices are available. This study demonstrates that price may be an important factor that could lead smokers to select reduced nicotine products voluntarily, even if those products are rated as inferior or less satisfying.
价格会影响香烟的需求，这表明吸烟者，尤其是收入较低的吸烟者，如果低尼古丁香烟（LNC）在商业上可用且价格低于全尼古丁常规香烟，他们可能会选择购买 LNC。本研究检验了以下假设：如果给定固定预算，吸烟者会更愿意以较低的价格购买 LNC 而不是常规香烟。
一项基于实验室的、被试内的 3（尼古丁水平）×3（价格）因子设计为吸烟者提供了根据不断升级的价格结构（低尼古丁成本最低，高尼古丁成本最高）购买标准（每毫克烟草 0.7 毫克）、中度降低（0.3 毫克）和极低尼古丁（0.03 毫克）。 Spectrum 研究香烟的机会，根据一个固定的、实验室提供的“收入”。参与者为 20 名夜间戒烟的吸烟者，他们之前都吸烟过，并对这三种香烟进行了评分。
总体而言，吸烟者对 LNC 的评分低于标准尼古丁香烟（SNC），t（18）=-5.40，p<.001。在自由选择阶段，即使在 8 小时的禁欲期后，与价格较高的 SNC 相比，受试者更有可能选择成本较低的 LNC，F（2,19）=4.32，p=.03。那些在禁欲后选择 LNC 或中度尼古丁香烟的人每天吸烟量更多，t（17）=2.40，p=.03，并且对 HONC 的依赖程度更高，t（18）=2.21，p=.04，而选择 SNC 的人。
结果表明，如果 LNC 在商业上可用，吸烟者在购买香烟时对价格点的反应可能会扩展到 LNC。基于尼古丁含量的不同香烟价格可能会导致人们自愿选择成瘾性较低的产品。
食品和药物管理局已提议一项规定，将降低商业销售香烟中的尼古丁含量。然而，目前尚不清楚吸烟者在一个可提供不同尼古丁含量和价格的产品的环境中会如何反应。本研究表明，价格可能是一个重要因素，如果价格降低，即使这些产品的评价较低或不太令人满意，吸烟者也可能会自愿选择减少尼古丁的产品。
