Smokeless tobacco use 1992-2002: trends and measurement in the Current Population Survey-Tobacco Use Supplements

As smoking prevalence declines in the United States, it is important to understand if smokeless tobacco (SLT) use is also changing and if so, among what groups.

We examine the prevalence of SLT use and smoking, 1992-2002, using the Current Population Survey-Tobacco Use Supplements (CPS-TUS), which used US nationally representative samples based on stratified clusters of households.

Consistent with declines in smoking, the prevalence of current SLT use declined over the period 1992-2002 for males and females ages 18 and older. The overall separate declines in SLT use and in smoking are mirrored by a decline in concurrent use of SLT and cigarettes. SLT use is becoming more associated with white males, but use is declining faster among the youngest males.

The findings indicate that relative reductions in smoking prevalence are exceeded by relative reductions in SLT use, with sizeable reductions in concurrent use. These results suggest that the stricter cigarette policies of recent years may not only reduce cigarette use, but also the use of alternative tobacco products. In light of potential policy implications of SLT use as a potential reduced exposure product (PREP), current survey methods require more careful measurement of SLT use in terms of initiation, duration, quantity, and cessation.