Factors associated with changes in flavored tobacco products used: Findings from wave 2 and wave 3 (2014-2016) of the population assessment of tobacco and health (PATH) study.

Introduction: Flavored non-cigarette tobacco product use is widespread in the U.S. The availability of flavor options could be playing a role in recent increases in use, especially for non-cigarette tobacco products, among youth and young adults.

Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress among Adult Former Smoker, Current E-Cigarette Users-Results from Wave 1 PATH Study.

Background: Former smokers who currently use e-cigarettes have lower concentrations of biomarkers of tobacco toxicant exposure than current smokers. It is unclear whether tobacco toxicant exposure reductions may lead to health risk reductions.

Methods: We compared inflammatory biomarkers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, IL6, fibrinogen, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1) and an oxidative stress marker (F2-isoprostane) among 3,712 adult participants in Wave 1 (2013-2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study by tobacco user groups: dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes; former smokers who currently use e-cigarettes-only; current cigarette-only smokers; former smokers who do not currently use any tobacco; and never tobacco users.

Exposure to Nicotine and Toxicants Among Dual Users of Tobacco Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, 2013-2014.

Introduction: Concurrent use of tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes ("dual use") is common among tobacco users. Little is known about differences in demographics and toxicant exposure among subsets of dual users.

Aims And Methods: We analyzed data from adult dual users (current every/some day users of tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes, n = 792) included in the PATH Study Wave 1 (2013-2014) and provided urine samples.

Transitions in frequency of hookah smoking among youth and adults: findings from waves 1 and 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, 2013-15.

Background And Aims: The prevalence of hookah smoking has increased in the United States since at least 2010, especially among youth and young adults. This study assessed self-reported reasons for hookah smoking cessation and transition to or maintenance of high-frequency hookah smoking among current hookah smokers.

Design: Separately analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a longitudinal cohort study.

Biomarkers of Exposure among USA Adult Hookah Users: Results from Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study (2013-2014).

Hookah smoking has become common in the USA, especially among young adults. This study measured biomarkers of exposure to known tobacco product toxicants in a population-based sample of exclusive, established hookah users. Urinary biomarker data from 1753 adults in Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study were used to compare geometric mean concentrations of biomarkers of exposure in exclusive, established past 30-day hookah users to never users of tobacco.

Adult perceptions of the relative harm of tobacco products and subsequent tobacco product use: Longitudinal findings from waves 1 and 2 of the population assessment of tobacco and health (PATH) study.

Objectives: To examine: (1) How perceptions of harm for seven non-cigarette tobacco products predict subsequent use; (2) How change in use is associated with changes in perceptions of product harm; (3) Whether sociodemographic variables moderate the association between perceptions and use.

Methods: Data are from the adult sample (18+) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative longitudinal cohort survey conducted September 2013-December 2014 (Wave 1 (W1) n = 32,320) and October 2014-October 2015 (Wave 2 (W2) n = 28,362).

Results: Wave 1 users and non-users of e-cigarettes, filtered cigars, cigarillos, and pipes, who perceived these products as less harmful had greater odds of using the product at W2.

Use of Electronic Cigarettes in Smoke-Free Spaces by Smokers: Results from the 2014-2015 Population Assessment on Tobacco and Health Study.

: Smoke-free air policies exist to protect users and nonusers from exposure to tobacco smoke. Although electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) may expose passerby to nicotine and particulate matter, few US states regulate indoor use of ENDS. The purpose of this study was to investigate reported rationales for ENDS use and reported ENDS use in public smoke-free places by dual cigarette/ENDS users.

Biomarkers of Exposure among Adult Smokeless Tobacco Users in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (Wave 1, 2013-2014).

Background: Monitoring population-level toxicant exposures from smokeless tobacco (SLT) use is important for assessing population health risks due to product use. In this study, we assessed tobacco biomarkers of exposure (BOE) among SLT users from the Wave 1 (2013-2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.

Methods: Urinary biospecimens were collected from adults ages 18 and older.

Nicotine and Toxicant Exposure Among Concurrent Users (Co-Users) of Tobacco and Cannabis.

Background: Smoking cannabis may potentially increase exposure to numerous toxic chemicals that are commonly associated with tobacco use. There is a paucity of data related to toxicant exposures among concurrent users of tobacco and cannabis (co-users).

Methods: Data are from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Wave 1 Biomarker Restricted-Use Files.

Harm perceptions and tobacco use initiation among youth in Wave 1 and 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.

In the US, youth attribute higher levels of harm and addictiveness to cigarettes relative to other tobacco products. Monitoring harm perceptions across a range of tobacco products is important when forecasting risk for experimentation. This study examined data from US youth (N = 10,081) ages 12-17 from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study who completed both Wave 1 (2013-2014) and Wave 2 (2014-2015) interviews.

Biomarkers of Exposure among U.S. Adult Cigar Smokers: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 1 (2013-2014).

Background: Given the diverse cigar market and limited data on biomarker patterns by cigar type, we compared biomarkers of nicotine and tobacco toxicants among cigar smokers and other groups.

Methods: Using Wave 1 urinary biomarker data from 5,604 adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, we compared geometric mean concentrations among cigar-only smokers (all cigars and separately for traditional, cigarillo, and filtered cigars), cigarette-only smokers, dual cigar/cigarette smokers, and never users of tobacco. We calculated geometric mean ratios comparing groups with never users adjusting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, education and creatinine.

Longitudinal e-Cigarette and Cigarette Use Among US Youth in the PATH Study (2013-2015).

Background: Evidence is accumulating that youth who try Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS, e-cigarettes) may go on to try cigarettes. This analysis examines the bidirectional patterns of ENDS and cigarette use among US youth over one year and uses propensity score matching (PSM) to examine frequency of ENDS use on changes in cigarette smoking.

Methods: Our analysis included 11 996 participants who had two waves of available data (Wave 1 [W1] 2013-2014; Wave 2 [W2] 2014-2015) drawn from the longitudinal Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Comparison of Nicotine and Toxicant Exposure in Users of Electronic Cigarettes and Combustible Cigarettes.

Importance: Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is increasing. Measures of exposure to known tobacco-related toxicants among e-cigarette users will inform potential health risks to individual product users.

Objectives: To estimate concentrations of tobacco-related toxicants among e-cigarette users and compare these biomarker concentrations with those observed in combustible cigarette users, dual users, and never tobacco users.

Examining the Association between Body Burdens of Harmful Chemicals and Heaviness of Marijuana Smoking.

Marijuana is seeing increased use both globally and domestically. However, the scientific community has not fully reached a consensus about what negative health effects and to what extent marijuana smoking may cause. In this study, we evaluated the associations between the body burdens of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) among marijuana smokers and the smoking heaviness.

Air quality and presence of air ventilation systems inside waterpipe cafés in North Carolina.

Background: After North Carolina (NC) fire inspectors detected unsafe carbon monoxide (CO) levels inside several waterpipe cafés, the state fire code was amended to include provisions regulating waterpipe cafés, adding a requirement for air ventilation. These regulations apply to new buildings constructed after 1 January 2016, but can be enforced for older buildings where there exists a distinct hazard to life. We measured air quality at a sample of waterpipe cafés before and after the starting date of this regulation and collected information on presence of air ventilation.

Examining Hookah as an Introduction to Nicotine Products among College Students.

Background: Limited data exist on what young adults report as their first-ever nicotine product; some evidence suggests that they report hookah as their first product smoked.

Objectives: This study reports on the first nicotine product used among undergraduates who had ever tried tobacco, and explores correlates of hookah as that first product.

Methods: Participants included a convenience sample of undergraduate students (n = 1538) at four universities in upstate New York during fall 2013.

Simulational fluency reduces feelings of psychological distance.

Why do some events feel "like yesterday" whereas others feel "ages away"? Past research has identified cues that influence people's estimates of distance in units such as how many miles or days away events are from the self. However, what makes events feel psychologically close or distant? We examine the hypothesis that increased simulational fluency, the ease with which people mentally imagine events, makes events feel psychologically close. Simulational fluency was associated with feelings that multiple past and future holidays were psychologically close (Studies 1a and 1b).

Patterns and Trends of Hookah Use among New Jersey Youth: New Jersey Youth Tobacco Survey 2008-2014.

Objectives: In this study, the aim was to document trends of ever, past 30-day, and frequent (use on > 10 days/month) hookah use among New Jersey (NJ) high school students.

Methods: Data were analyzed from the 2008-2014 waves of the NJ Youth Tobacco Survey, a biennial survey of public high school students in grades 9-12 with a mean age of 15 years. Multivariable logistic regressions assessed trends and correlates of hookah use.

Urinary Metabolite Levels of Flame Retardants in Electronic Cigarette Users: A Study Using the Data from NHANES 2013-2014.

Evaluating the safety of e-cigarettes and making informed judgement about developing potential standards require sufficient scientific evidence. Since e-cigarettes are highly engineered products containing plastic, glass and metal parts, and e-liquids are largely different matrices, many toxic compounds which are not typical hazards for the users of combustible tobacco products (e.g.

Brief Report: Lead Levels in Selected Electronic Cigarettes from Canada and the United States.

Few published studies have investigated the presence of lead in the e-liquid of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Lead inhalation is associated with increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and other diseases. This study used a novel application of graphite furnace technology to compare the concentration of lead between e-liquids of different packaging and product designs using e-liquids that are or were commercially available in the United States and Canada.

Waterpipe cafés are hazardous to your health: Determination of a waterpipe specific calibration factor.

Introduction: The use of a waterpipe to smoke tobacco has emerged as a popular trend in the United States. Waterpipe smoking establishments have had an increasing presence in the U.S.

Patterns of Use of Smokeless Tobacco in US Adults, 2013-2014.

Objectives: To examine patterns of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use, by type, in wave 1 (2013-2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study in the United States.

Methods: We analyzed data from 32 320 adults (aged ≥ 18 years) to assess the use of pouched snus and other SLT products (loose snus, moist snuff, dip, spit, and chewing tobacco).

Results: Overall, SLT use was most common among men, younger adults, non-Hispanic Whites, and nonurban respondents.