Objective: To understand how affect for characterizing flavors influences little cigar and cigarillo (LCC) smoking uptake behaviors among young adults.
Methods: A convenience sample of multi-ethnic young adults (N = 90; mean age = 25.1 years; 53.1% male; 47.4% African-American, 35.5% white, 17.1% Hispanic) who were dual (LCC+ cigarette) and cigarette-only smokers participated in 12 focus groups and a semi-structured interview in the southeastern United States.
Results: Though they self-identified at enrollment as dual or cigarette-only smokers, 64.4% reported LCC-only smoking, 27.8% dual smoking, and 7.8% cigarette-only smoking. Participants acknowledged that the flavored tobacco made smoking LCCs more palatable, and it enhanced their moods. The variety of available sweet and fruit flavored LCCs and the visual, smell, and taste cues from the LCC packaging influenced the young adults' affect, their susceptibility to and initiation of LCC smoking, and their switch from cigarettes to flavored LCC smoking.
Conclusions: Characterizing flavored tobacco in LCCs contributed to young adults' susceptibility and initiation of use. The FDA is proposing to deem LCCs under its authority. Once these products are deemed, our results suggest that the FDA make a product standard restricting characterizing flavors in LCCs.
Keywords: cigarillos; cigars; flavored tobacco; little cigars; young adults.