Sociodemographic Differences in Menthol Cigarette Use in the United States

Menthol cigarette use is associated with higher smoking initiation and reduced smoking cessation. We investigated sociodemographic differences in menthol and nonmenthol cigarette use in the United States.

We used the most recent available data from the May 2019 wave of the nationally-representative Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. The survey weights were used to estimate the national prevalence of individuals who currently smoke among individuals who use menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes. Survey-weighted logistic regression methods were used to estimate the association of menthol cigarette use with formerly smoking cigarettes and attempting to quit within the past 12 months while adjusting for several sociodemographic factors associated with smoking.

The prevalence of current smoking in individuals who ever smoked menthol cigarettes was higher 45.6% (44.5%-46.6%) compared to 35.8% (35.2%-36.4%) in individuals who ever smoked nonmenthol cigarettes. Non-Hispanics Blacks who used menthol cigarettes had a higher likelihood of being an individual who currently smokes (OR 1.8, 95% CI: [1.6-2.0], P-value <.001) compared to Non-Hispanic Whites who used nonmenthol cigarettes. However, Non-Hispanics Blacks who used menthol cigarettes were more likely to make a quit attempt (OR 1.4, 95%CI: [1.3-1.6], P-value <.001) compared to non-Hispanic Whites who used nonmenthol cigarettes.

Individuals who currently use menthol cigarettes are more likely to make attempts to quit smoking. However, this did not translate to successfully quitting smoking, as evidenced by the proportion of individuals who formerly smoked within the population which used menthol cigarettes.