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Patterns of cigarillo use among Canadian young adults in two urban settings

  • Quantitative Research
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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Current estimates indicate that cigarillo use has become commonplace among young adults in Canada despite the established risks to health. However, little else is known about patterns of cigarillo use in this subpopulation. The intent of this research was to examine the patterns, attitudes, and beliefs regarding cigarillo use and co-use of cigarillos and cigarettes among Canadian young adults.

METHODS: Canadians aged 19–29 years from the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta were recruited from September 2009 to February 2010 and in June 2010, respectively (n=133). Eligible participants completed questionnaires assessing cigarillo, cigarette, and cannabis use; social influence of usage; and beliefs about cigarillo use.

RESULTS: Cigarillo use was common in social settings, with friends, and during leisure time. The majority of participants were co-users of cigarillos and cigarettes (82%), and currently used cannabis (72%). Respondents reported “replacing cigarette smoking” and “flavour” as main reasons for smoking cigarillos; and half (52%) believed they were not at all addicted to cigarillos. Disconcertingly, participants perceived the risk of cancer attributed to smoking cigarillos as significantly less than the risk of cancer attributed to smoking cigarettes (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the social nature of cigarillo use, and suggest a lack of awareness of the health risks associated with cigarillo and polytobacco use in this small convenience sample of Canadian young adults. Population-level analyses are needed to further investigate cigarillo, polytobacco and concurrent cannabis use patterns and beliefs among Canadian young adults.

Résumé

OBJECTIFS: Selon les estimations actuelles, l’usage de cigarillos s’est banalisé chez les jeunes adultes au Canada malgré ses risques démontrés pour la santé. Cependant, on n’en sait guère plus sur les habitudes d’usage des cigarillos dans cette sous-population. Nous avons cherché à examiner les habitudes, les attitudes et les croyances liées à l’usage de cigarillos et au co-usage de cigarillos et de cigarettes chez les jeunes adultes canadiens.

METHODE: Des Canadiens âgés de 19 à 29 ans vivant dans la région du Grand Toronto (Ontario) et à Edmonton (Alberta) ont été recrutés de septembre 2009 à février 2010 et en juin 2010, respectivement (n= 33). Les participants admissibles ont rempli des questionnaires d’évaluation sur leur usage des cigarillos, des cigarettes et du cannabis; l’influence sociale de cet usage; et leurs croyances au sujet de l’usage de cigarillos.

RÉSULTATS: L’usage de cigarillos était courant dans des situations sociales, entre amis et dans les temps libres. Les participants étaient en majorité des co-utilisateurs de cigarillos et de cigarettes (82 %) et des consommateurs actuels de cannabis (72 %). Les principales raisons citées par les répondants pour expliquer leur usage de cigarillos étaient le «remplacement de l’usage de la cigarette» et «l’arôme»; et la moitié (52 %) croyait n’avoir aucune dépendance aux cigarillos. Curieusement, les participants percevaient le risque de cancer imputé à l’usage de cigarillos comme étant beaucoup moins important que le risque imputé à l’usage de cigarettes (p<0,0001).

CONCLUSION: Ces constatations soulignent la nature sociale de l’usage des cigarillos et donnent à penser que dans ce petit échantillon de commodité de jeunes adultes canadiens, on méconnaît les risques sanitaires associés à l’usage de cigarillos et au poly-usage de tabac. Des analyses populationnelles sont nécessaires pour étudier plus avant les habitudes et les croyances liées à l’usage de cigarillos et au poly-usage de tabac, ainsi qu’à la consommation parallèle de cannabis, chez les jeunes adultes canadiens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Erika A. Yates MSc, Jolene Dubray MSc, Robert Schwartz PhD & Maritt Kirst PhD

  2. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, c/o Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 530-155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada

    Robert Schwartz PhD & Maritt Kirst PhD

  3. Social and Epidemiological Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Robert Schwartz PhD

  4. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Ashley Lacombe-Duncan MSW

  5. Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Juhee Suwal PhD & Juanita Hatcher PhD

Authors
  1. Erika A. Yates MSc
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  2. Jolene Dubray MSc
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  3. Robert Schwartz PhD
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  4. Maritt Kirst PhD
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  5. Ashley Lacombe-Duncan MSW
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  6. Juhee Suwal PhD
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  7. Juanita Hatcher PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jolene Dubray MSc.

Additional information

Acknowledgements of sources of support (funding and otherwise): This work was supported by a Policy Grant from the Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative (20633). It was undertaken by the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit which received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport. The authors thank Murray Kaiserman, Fred Ashbury, Shawn O’Connor and Anne Philipneri for contributing to the development and design of this research.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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Yates, E.A., Dubray, J., Schwartz, R. et al. Patterns of cigarillo use among Canadian young adults in two urban settings. Can J Public Health 105, e11–e14 (2014). https://doi.org/10.17269/cjph.105.3879

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/cjph.105.3879

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