Division of Population Health Science, Office of Science, Center for Tobacco Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Office on Smoking and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2023 Aug 19;25(9):1610-1613. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntad080.
This manuscript examines prevalence of awareness and use of nicotine pouches among U.S. middle and high school students by sociodemographic characteristics and other tobacco product use and characterizes nicotine pouch and other tobacco product use behaviors among current nicotine pouch users.
Data are from the 2021 National Tobacco Youth Survey, a cross-sectional, school-based survey of middle and high school students (N = 20 413; overall response rate: 44.6%), which included questions on nicotine pouches in 2021 for the first time. Prevalence estimates, 95% confidence intervals, and estimated population counts were assessed for nicotine pouch awareness, ever use, and current (past 30 days) use, and for use behaviors related to nicotine pouches (frequency of use, flavor(s) used) and other tobacco products (ever, current, frequency of use) among current nicotine pouch users.
Over one-third of students (35.5%) had ever heard of nicotine pouches. An estimated 1.9% (490 000) reported ever using them, while 0.8% (200 000) reported current use. Among current nicotine pouch users, 61.6% reported flavored nicotine pouch use, 64.2% reported current e-cigarette use, and 52.6% used multiple (≥2) tobacco products. Current use of nicotine pouches was common among current smokeless tobacco users (41.3%).
Overall, in 2021, while relatively few students had ever tried nicotine pouches or currently used them, more than one-third had heard of them. Current nicotine pouch users tended to use other tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Given previous rapid increases in youth uptake of e-cigarettes, it is important to continue monitoring nicotine pouch use among young people.
This study's findings provide an important baseline for future monitoring of nicotine pouch awareness and use among middle and high school students. Emerging tobacco products, particularly those that are flavored, widely available, discreet, and inexpensive have the potential to attract youth. Given the potential of these products to appeal to young people, ongoing monitoring of nicotine pouch use behaviors is important to inform public health and regulatory efforts.
本研究旨在通过社会人口统计学特征和其他烟草制品使用情况，调查美国中学生对尼古丁袋的认知和使用情况，并描述当前尼古丁袋使用者的尼古丁袋和其他烟草制品使用行为。
数据来自 2021 年全国青少年烟草调查，这是一项基于学校的中学生和高中生横断面调查（总体回复率：44.6%），2021 年首次纳入了关于尼古丁袋的问题。评估了尼古丁袋认知、使用情况（曾用和现用）以及与尼古丁袋使用相关的行为（使用频率、使用口味）和其他烟草制品（曾用、现用、使用频率）的现用尼古丁袋使用者的流行率估计值、95%置信区间和估计人口数。
超过三分之一的学生（35.5%）听说过尼古丁袋。估计有 1.9%（490000 人）曾使用过尼古丁袋，而 0.8%（200000 人）报告现用。在现用尼古丁袋使用者中，61.6%报告使用调味尼古丁袋，64.2%报告现用电子烟，52.6%使用多种（≥2）烟草制品。当前使用尼古丁袋的人中，当前使用无烟烟草的比例较高（41.3%）。
总体而言，2021 年，尽管相对较少的学生曾尝试过尼古丁袋或现用尼古丁袋，但超过三分之一的学生听说过尼古丁袋。当前尼古丁袋使用者往往使用其他烟草制品，特别是电子烟和无烟烟草。鉴于青少年对电子烟的使用率此前迅速上升，继续监测年轻人对尼古丁袋的使用情况非常重要。
本研究结果为未来监测中学生对尼古丁袋的认知和使用情况提供了重要基线。新兴烟草制品，特别是那些口味多样、广泛可得、隐蔽且价格低廉的产品，有可能吸引年轻人。鉴于这些产品对年轻人的吸引力，持续监测尼古丁袋使用行为对于为公共卫生和监管工作提供信息非常重要。
