Abstract
This study aimed to better understand African Americans’ perceptions of menthol tobacco and reasons for unsuccessful quit attempts among menthol smokers. A cross-sectional survey of 407 U.S.-born African American adults from Minnesota assessed menthol perceptions and experiences trying to quit menthol cigarettes. A majority of the sample (59%) was either unsure of the relative harm of menthol cigarettes or perceived that menthol cigarettes are less harmful than non-menthol cigarettes. Menthol smokers were more likely than nonsmokers to perceive that menthol makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit, and that menthol cigarettes are marketed to African Americans more than other groups (ps < .05). Nearly half (45%) of menthol smokers who reported a failed quit attempt identified cravings as a reason why they were unsuccessful. Media campaigns and educational interventions that highlight the dangers of menthol and promote cessation resources are needed to help reduce the pernicious effects of menthol in the African American community.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the African American Leadership Forum for the admirable job they did recruiting participants, collecting data, and engaging the African American community. They played an integral role in the success of this project and we are appreciative of these important contributions. We would also like to thank Hennepin County Public Health Department for their leadership in shepherding this project and all of its collaborators, and the Minneapolis Health Department, Bloomington-Edina-Richfield Public Health Department, and St. Paul-Ramsey Public Health Department for their support in advancing this work. In addition, we would like to thank Amy Leite-Bennett for providing technical help and offering input on this paper. This work was funded by the Minnesota Department of Health’s Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, ClearWay MinnesotaSM, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative Agreement Number, DP006005). Contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Kingsbury, J.H., Mehrotra, K., D’Silva, J. et al. Perceptions of Menthol Cigarettes and Reasons for Unsuccessful Quits in an African American Community Sample. J Immigrant Minority Health 23, 137–144 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01028-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01028-z