Changes in Little Cigar and Cigarillo Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of Young Adult Users

Eugenia Lee, Stephanie Pike Moore, Erika Trapl, Craig S. Fryer, Douglas Gunzler and Kymberle L. Sterling
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Eugenia Lee: Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Dallas Regional Campus, Dallas, TX 75207, USA
Stephanie Pike Moore: Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
Erika Trapl: Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
Craig S. Fryer: Department of Behavioral and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Douglas Gunzler: Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
Kymberle L. Sterling: Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Dallas Regional Campus, Dallas, TX 75207, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-11

Abstract: We examined the smoking behaviors of U.S. young adults ages 18–36 regarding little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey data were collected from a nationally representative sample of young adults between October and November 2020. Respondents who reported using LCCs with tobacco (CAI) and/or with marijuana (CAB) within the past 6 months prior to the survey ( n = 399) were included in the study. Logistic regression analyses assessed the association between their perceived risk of having COVID when smoking LCCs and pandemic-related behavioral changes in CAI and CAB use (e.g., worrying, quit attempts, smoking more, smoking less). Findings showed that users with a higher perceived risk of getting COVID-19 when smoking LCCs were more likely to endorse trying to quit CAI and CAB during the pandemic. Compared to the non-Hispanic White population, the non-Hispanic Black population were less likely to endorse smoking less CAI and trying to quit CAB during the pandemic. Dual users of CAI and CAB and females were more likely to endorse smoking more CAB compared to CAB-only users and males, respectively. Tailored cessation strategies are needed for dual users, non-Hispanic Black young adults, and young women. Raising awareness about the risks of LCC use can be an effective strategy for LCC smoking cessation.

Keywords: little cigar; cigarillo; risk perceptions; COVID-19; pandemic; cessation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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