Beliefs and Characteristics Associated With Believing Nicotine Causes Cancer: A Descriptive Analysis to Inform...

Area of Science:

• Tobacco control research
• Public health communication
• Behavioral science

Background:

• Many cigarette smokers wish to quit but struggle to do so.
• Switching to noncombustible nicotine products can reduce health risks, but misperceptions about nicotine may hinder this transition.
• Understanding the prevalence and drivers of nicotine misperceptions is crucial for effective public health messaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the prevalence of the misperception that nicotine causes cancer among adult smokers.
• To determine which demographic groups and beliefs are associated with this misperception.
• To inform the development and targeting of corrective public health messages.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 9,013 adult established smokers from Wave 3 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study.
• Utilized bivariable log binomial models to identify factors associated with nicotine misperceptions.
• Conducted post hoc testing to pinpoint specific groups and beliefs linked to higher prevalence of the misperception.

Main Results:

• 61.2% of smokers either believe nicotine causes cancer or are unsure.
• Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic smokers, and those with annual incomes under $10,000, showed significantly higher rates of this misperception.
• Smokers who recently used ENDS or smokeless tobacco had lower rates of the misperception. Misperceptions were also linked to recognizing smoking-caused diseases and believing additive-free cigarettes were more harmful.

Conclusions:

• The misperception that nicotine causes cancer is widespread and particularly prevalent among vulnerable populations, including Non-Hispanic Black and low-income smokers.
• This misperception may be an overgeneralization of the perceived harm of tobacco.
• Targeted messaging is essential to correct this misconception and improve accurate understanding of relative product risks, ensuring equitable dissemination to at-risk groups.