Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Switching to lower tar cigarettes does not increase or decrease the likelihood of future quit attempts or cessation.

Andrew Hyland1, John R Hughes, Matthew Farrelly

  • 1Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Department of Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, Buffalo NY 14263, USA. andrew.hyland@roswellpark.org

Nicotine & Tobacco Research : Official Journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
|October 28, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cancer Screening Adherence in the US by Smoking and Vaping Status, 2023.

Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.)·2026
Same author

Predictors of E-Cigarette Quit Attempts and Cessation in Young Adults.

Pediatrics·2026
Same author

The landscape of lung cancer screening globally: a comparison of established programs and estimates of eligibility to participate.

The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific·2026
Same author

Longitudinal associations between substance use problem severity and relative harm perceptions of e-cigarettes compared with cigarettes: Results from the United States Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study (2013-2023).

Addiction (Abingdon, England)·2026
Same author

Correction: Disposal practices of cigarettes and electronic nicotine products among adults, findings from Wave 6 (2021) of the PATH Study.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Awareness and use of oral nicotine pouches among youth and young adults, 2022-2024: repeat cross-sectional surveys in Canada, England, the USA and New Zealand.

BMJ public health·2025

Switching to low-tar cigarettes does not predict future quit attempts or successful smoking cessation. This finding holds true even for smokers who believe low-tar products are safer.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Tobacco Control
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Contradictory findings exist regarding whether switching to low-tar cigarettes influences cessation behavior.
  • A large, prospective, population-based study was needed to clarify this relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine if switching to low-tar cigarettes predicts future quit attempts or smoking cessation.
  • To investigate potential differential effects across smoker subgroups, including those with beliefs about low-tar cigarette safety.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT).
  • Classified smokers' brands into tar categories: ultralight (0-6 mg), light (7-15 mg), and regular (16+ mg).
  • Tracked product code information and smoking status from 1989 to 1993 to identify switchers and cessation outcomes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Between 1989 and 1991, 8% of light smokers and 19% of regular smokers switched to lower tar yield products.
  • Switching to lower tar cigarettes was not associated with an increased or decreased number of quit attempts.
  • No significant association was found between switching and the likelihood of successful 6-month cessation.

Conclusions:

  • Switching to low-tar cigarettes does not appear to influence future smoking cessation likelihood.
  • Motivation to stop smoking may be associated with the act of switching, but switching itself does not facilitate cessation.
  • Findings were consistent across subgroups, irrespective of beliefs about the safety of low-tar cigarettes.