Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Tob Control. 2021 Nov;30(6):660-667. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055725. Epub 2020 Oct 28.
While cigarette filter modifications have long been used to increase product appeal and assuage health concerns, tighter marketing restrictions, including plain packaging, have further spurred the growth of filter variants. We explored and assessed experiences and perceptions of smokers who had tried and/or currently use recessed filter cigarettes (RFCs) and firm filter cigarettes (FFCs).
In November 2018, we undertook eight exploratory focus groups of Australian adult factory-made cigarette smokers (total n=56). In July 2019, we surveyed 999 smokers aged 18-69 years to quantify ever and current use of these products and associated beliefs and sensory experiences.
Focus group and survey findings were consistent. Among 988 smokers who had at least tried factory-made cigarettes, 28.9% had tried FFCs and 11.1% currently smoked these, while 36.4% had tried RFCs and 7.5% currently smoked these. Smokers in both studies believed these filters may reduce harm and that FFCs increase appeal. In the survey, 58.9% of RFC triers agreed these hide the filter's brown stain and 48.9% agreed that RFCs keep harmful substances away from the mouth. Similarly, 58.4% of FFC triers agreed these trap more harmful substances than standard filters. Relative to standard filter cigarettes, more smokers experienced FFCs and RFCs as feeling clean (p=0.03) and more current FFC users experienced these as feeling smooth (p=0.01).
RFCs and FFCs undermine plain packaging legislation, which aims to reduce appeal and minimise misperceptions about the relative harms of different tobacco products. Like other filter modifications, these filter variants should be disallowed.
长期以来，香烟过滤嘴的改进一直被用于增加产品吸引力和减轻健康问题的担忧，但更严格的营销限制，包括平装，进一步推动了过滤嘴变体的发展。我们探索并评估了尝试过和/或目前使用凹滤嘴香烟（RFC）和硬滤嘴香烟（FFC）的吸烟者的经验和看法。
2018 年 11 月，我们对澳大利亚成年机制香烟吸烟者（共 56 人）进行了八项探索性焦点小组讨论。2019 年 7 月，我们对 999 名 18-69 岁的吸烟者进行了调查，以量化这些产品的既往和当前使用情况以及相关的信念和感官体验。
焦点小组和调查结果一致。在至少尝试过机制香烟的 988 名吸烟者中，28.9%的人尝试过 FFC，11.1%的人目前正在吸食这种香烟，而 36.4%的人尝试过 RFC，7.5%的人目前正在吸食这种香烟。这两项研究中的吸烟者都认为这些过滤嘴可能会减少伤害，并且 FFC 更具吸引力。在调查中，58.9%的 RFC 尝试者认为这些过滤嘴可以隐藏过滤嘴的棕色污渍，48.9%的人认为 RFC 可以将有害物质远离口腔。同样，58.4%的 FFC 尝试者认为这些过滤嘴比标准过滤嘴能捕获更多的有害物质。与标准过滤嘴香烟相比，更多的吸烟者认为 FFC 和 RFC 感觉更清洁（p=0.03），更多的当前 FFC 用户认为它们感觉更顺畅（p=0.01）。
RFC 和 FFC 破坏了旨在降低吸引力和尽量减少对不同烟草产品相对危害的错误认知的平装法规。像其他过滤嘴改进一样，这些过滤嘴变体应该被禁止。
