Xue Zheng, Okitondo Christian, Asare Samuel, Bandi Priti, Patel Minal, Nargis Nigar
Surveillance & Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Surveillance & Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Tob Control. 2025 Jan 2;34(1):41-47. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-057941.
On 29 April 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to prohibit menthol as a characterising flavour in cigarettes.
We assessed the changes in cigarette sales associated with the FDA's announcement using interrupted time series analysis based on monthly retail point-of-sale data on cigarettes from the NielsenIQ Local Trade Area (LTA) data from September 2019 to April 2022. Main outcome variables included LTA-level monthly menthol and non-menthol cigarette sales per 1000-persons.
Monthly cigarette sales were declining before the FDA's announcement (menthol vs non-menthol: -1.68 (95% CI -1.92, -1.45) vs -3.14 (95% CI -3.33, -2.96) packs per 1000-persons). Monthly menthol cigarette sales increased immediately in May 2021 after the FDA's announcement by 6.44 packs per 1000-persons (95% CI 3.83, 9.05). Analysis stratified by LTA-level racial/ethnic compositions showed that LTAs with a relatively higher proportion of non-Hispanic Black population (>8.94%) experienced higher spike in menthol cigarette sales in May 2021 immediately after the announcement and higher post-announcement 12-month menthol cigarette sales than expected.
Areas with a relatively higher proportion of non-Hispanic Black population are potentially at risk of experiencing increased burden of menthol cigarette consumption. Targeted community level cessation support in non-Hispanic Black majority areas may help mitigate the growing burden of menthol cigarette smoking and improve health equity. The findings of this study also suggest that FDA's prompt finalisation and enforcement of such ban may help avoid extending the increased burden of menthol cigarette consumptions in non-Hispanic Black majority areas.
2021年4月29日，美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）宣布有意禁止将薄荷醇作为香烟的特征性风味。
我们使用中断时间序列分析，基于2019年9月至2022年4月尼尔森IQ本地贸易区（LTA）数据中香烟的月度零售销售点数据，评估了与FDA这一宣布相关的香烟销售变化。主要结局变量包括LTA层面每1000人每月的薄荷醇香烟和非薄荷醇香烟销售量。
在FDA宣布之前，月度香烟销售量就在下降（薄荷醇香烟与非薄荷醇香烟：每1000人-1.68（95%置信区间-1.92，-1.45）包与-3.14（95%置信区间-3.33，-2.96）包）。2021年5月，在FDA宣布之后，月度薄荷醇香烟销售量立即增加，每1000人增加6.44包（95%置信区间3.83，9.05）。按LTA层面种族/族裔构成分层的分析表明，非西班牙裔黑人人口比例相对较高（>8.94%）的LTA在2021年5月宣布后立即经历了薄荷醇香烟销售量的更高峰值，且宣布后12个月的薄荷醇香烟销售量高于预期。
非西班牙裔黑人人口比例相对较高的地区可能面临薄荷醇香烟消费负担增加的风险。在非西班牙裔黑人占多数的地区提供有针对性的社区层面戒烟支持，可能有助于减轻薄荷醇香烟吸烟不断增加的负担，并改善健康公平性。本研究结果还表明，FDA迅速敲定并执行此类禁令可能有助于避免非西班牙裔黑人占多数地区薄荷醇香烟消费负担的增加持续扩大。
