Effects of a Modified Exposure Claim for an e-Cigarette on Claim Comprehension, Behavioral Intentions, and Risk...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Tobacco Control
• Risk Communication

Background:

• Effective communication on relative risks of cigarettes and e-cigarettes is crucial for harm reduction.
• Understanding consumer perceptions of modified exposure claims (MECs) is vital for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine comprehension of a proposed MEC for an e-cigarette (IQOS VEEV).
• To assess the impact of MEC exposure on e-cigarette use intentions and risk perceptions among diverse adult populations (users and nonusers of tobacco and nicotine products).

Main Methods:

• A randomized online experimental study involved 3852 adult participants across various categories: smokers intending to quit (S-IQ), smokers not intending to quit (S-NIQ), e-cigarette users (ECU), former smokers (FS), and never-users (aged 18-24 and 25+).
• Participants were exposed to a marketing brochure with or without an embedded MEC.
• Outcomes measured included claim comprehension, intention to use the study product (SP) regularly, and perceived health risks.

Main Results:

• Most participants understood the MEC, recognizing that the SP produces fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes and switching reduces exposure.
• E-cigarette use intention was high among ECUs and increased significantly among S-IQ after MEC exposure.
• All groups perceived the SP as lower risk than cigarettes, and MEC exposure significantly reduced perceived SP risk relative to cigarettes across all participant groups.

Conclusions:

• The tested MEC effectively communicates reduced exposure benefits of the IQOS VEEV e-cigarette.
• The MEC has potential public health benefits by encouraging smokers to switch while maintaining low appeal to nonusers.
• This study highlights the importance of clear and accurate risk communication in tobacco harm reduction strategies.