The Effects of Oral Nicotine Pouch Packaging Features on Adult Tobacco Users’ and Non-Users’ Product Perceptions

Darren Mays (), Lauren Long, Mahmood A. Alalwan, Theodore L. Wagener, Ce Shang, Megan E. Roberts, Joanne G. Patterson and Brittney Keller-Hamilton
Additional contact information
Darren Mays: Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
Lauren Long: Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
Mahmood A. Alalwan: Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
Theodore L. Wagener: Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
Ce Shang: Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
Megan E. Roberts: Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Joanne G. Patterson: Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Brittney Keller-Hamilton: Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43214, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) are novel products that are marketed as “tobacco-free” alternatives to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (ST). This study examined the effects of ONP packaging features on adult tobacco users’ and non-users’ product perceptions. Materials and Methods: Adult tobacco users (cigarettes, ST, and dual cigarette/ST) and non-users (total N = 301) viewed ONP pack images in a 4 × 3 × 2 between-subject experiment testing the effects of the displayed flavor (cool mint, coffee, dark frost, and smooth), nicotine concentration (none displayed on the package, 3 mg, and 6 mg), and addiction warning label (yes or no). The outcomes were perceived substitutability of ONPs for cigarettes and ST and perceived risks. We modeled the effects of tobacco user status and the experimental factors on these outcomes. Results: All tobacco user groups perceived ONPs to be significantly less harmful and less addictive than non-users. There were significant effects of nicotine concentration on perceived risks. Compared to packages that did not display nicotine concentration, packages displaying 6 mg nicotine concentration produced significantly lower perceived harm ( β = −0.23, 95% CI −0.44, −0.02), perceived addictiveness ( β = −0.28, 95% CI −0.51, −0.05), risk appraisals of harm ( β = −0.50, 95% CI −0.88, −0.12) and risk appraisals of addictiveness ( β = −0.53, 95% CI −0.95, −0.11). Conclusions: The study findings demonstrate that the nicotine concentration displayed on ONP packaging can affect adults’ perceptions of ONPs. Further research on the effects of ONP packaging features emphasizing nicotine (e.g., “tobacco free” nicotine claims) on tobacco users and non-users is needed to assess their potential public health impact.

Keywords: packaging; marketing; consumer perceptions; nicotine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3383/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3383/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3383-:d:1068842

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().