Reasons for Regularly Using Heated Tobacco Products among Adult Current and Former Smokers in Japan: Finding from 2018 ITC Japan Survey

Steve S. Xu, Gang Meng, Mi Yan, Shannon Gravely, Anne C. K. Quah, Janine Ouimet, Richard J. O’Connor, Edward Sutanto, Itsuro Yoshimi, Yumiko Mochizuki, Takahiro Tabuchi and Geoffrey T. Fong
Additional contact information
Steve S. Xu: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Gang Meng: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Mi Yan: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Shannon Gravely: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Anne C. K. Quah: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Janine Ouimet: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Richard J. O’Connor: Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Department of Health Behaviors Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
Edward Sutanto: Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Department of Health Behaviors Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
Itsuro Yoshimi: Division of Tobacco Policy Research, National Cancer Center Japan, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Yumiko Mochizuki: Japan Cancer Society, 13th Floor, Yurakucho Center Bldg. 2-5-1, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan
Takahiro Tabuchi: Cancer Control Center, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Chome-1-69 Otemae, Chuo Ward, Osaka 541-8567, Japan
Geoffrey T. Fong: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-11

Abstract: The market growth of heated tobacco products (HTPs), such as IQOS, Ploom TECH, and glo, has increased dramatically in Japan since 2016. Little is known about the reasons why current and former smokers are using HTPs. The data for this cross-sectional study were from the 2018 (Wave 1) International Tobacco Control (ITC) Japan Survey, a national web-based survey of 4500 people, including 658 current HTP users, of whom 549 were concurrently smoking cigarettes and 109 were former smokers. The most common reasons for regularly using HTPs were: beliefs that HTP are less harmful than cigarettes to themselves (90.6%) or to others (86.7%), enjoyment (76.5%), and social acceptability (74.4%). About half of current smokers (55.1%) reported using HTPs because these products might help them quit smoking. However, a near-equal percentage (52.0%) of current smokers reported using HTPs to replace some of the cigarettes they smoked so that they did not have to give up smoking altogether. If smokers are using HTPs to complement rather than quit their smoking, then the harm reduction potential of HTPs suggested by the toxicity studies will be diminished.

Keywords: heated tobacco products; cigarettes; Japan; reasons; current smoker; former smoker (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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