IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i21p8108-d439442.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unboxed: US Young Adult Tobacco Users’ Responses to a New Heated Tobacco Product

Author

Listed:
  • Minji Kim

    (Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
    These authors contributed equally to the work.)

  • Shannon Lea Watkins

    (Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
    These authors contributed equally to the work.)

  • Kimberly A. Koester

    (Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

  • Jeremiah Mock

    (Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Institute for Health & Aging, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

  • Hyunjin Cindy Kim

    (Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

  • Sarah Olson

    (Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

  • Arit Michael Harvanko

    (Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

  • Pamela M. Ling

    (Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
    Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

Abstract

The heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS was authorized for sale in the US in 2019. We investigated how young adults with experience using multiple tobacco products reacted to, perceived, and developed interest in IQOS, informing policies that might prevent HTPs from becoming ubiquitous. We used a novel qualitative method in which 33 young adult tobacco users in California (fall 2019) “unboxed” an IQOS device, tobacco sticks, and marketing materials and narrated their impressions and opinions. We conducted content and thematic analyses of participants’ reactions, sensory experiences, and interest. Multiple attributes influenced appeal for participants, including sleek electronic design, novel technology, perceived harmfulness, complexity, and high cost. The “no smoke” claim and heating technology suggested that smoking IQOS was safer than smoking cigarettes. Public health programs should closely monitor HTP marketing and uptake, particularly as “reduced exposure” claims were authorized in July 2020. Evidence-based regulations (e.g., requiring plain packaging for tobacco sticks), actions addressing IQOS’ unique attributes (e.g., regulating device packaging to reduce high-tech appeal), and public education might help to counter the appeal generated by potentially misleading IQOS marketing tactics.

Suggested Citation

  • Minji Kim & Shannon Lea Watkins & Kimberly A. Koester & Jeremiah Mock & Hyunjin Cindy Kim & Sarah Olson & Arit Michael Harvanko & Pamela M. Ling, 2020. "Unboxed: US Young Adult Tobacco Users’ Responses to a New Heated Tobacco Product," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:8108-:d:439442
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/8108/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/8108/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aleksandra Ratajczak & Piotr Jankowski & Piotr Strus & Wojciech Feleszko, 2020. "Heat Not Burn Tobacco Product—A New Global Trend: Impact of Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Products on Public Health, a Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-12, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joshua O. Barker & Julia Vassey & Julia C. Chen-Sankey & Jon-Patrick Allem & Tess Boley Cruz & Jennifer B. Unger, 2021. "Categorizing IQOS-Related Twitter Discussions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-10, April.
    2. Jiayan Gu & Lorien C. Abroms & David A. Broniatowski & W. Douglas Evans, 2022. "An Investigation of Influential Users in the Promotion and Marketing of Heated Tobacco Products on Instagram: A Social Network Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-11, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mariangela Peruzzi & Elena Cavarretta & Giacomo Frati & Roberto Carnevale & Fabio Miraldi & Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai & Sebastiano Sciarretta & Francesco Versaci & Vittoria Cammalleri & Pasquale Avino & , 2020. "Comparative Indoor Pollution from Glo, Iqos, and Juul, Using Traditional Combustion Cigarettes as Benchmark: Evidence from the Randomized SUR-VAPES AIR Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-13, August.
    2. Małgorzata Znyk & Joanna Jurewicz & Dorota Kaleta, 2021. "Exposure to Heated Tobacco Products and Adverse Health Effects, a Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Joshua O. Barker & Julia Vassey & Julia C. Chen-Sankey & Jon-Patrick Allem & Tess Boley Cruz & Jennifer B. Unger, 2021. "Categorizing IQOS-Related Twitter Discussions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-10, April.
    4. Tomoyasu Hirano & Tokuaki Shobayashi & Teiji Takei & Fumihiko Wakao, 2020. "Exposure Assessment of Environmental Tobacco Aerosol from Heated Tobacco Products: Nicotine and PM Exposures under Two Limited Conditions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-11, November.
    5. Yuki Kuwabara & Aya Kinjo & Maya Fujii & Aya Imamoto & Yoneatsu Osaki & Ann McNeill & Nicholas Beckley-Hoelscher, 2020. "Comparing Factors Related to Any Conventional Cigarette Smokers, Exclusive New Alternative Product Users, and Non-Users among Japanese Youth: A Nationwide Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Carmela Protano & Maurizio Manigrasso & Vittoria Cammalleri & Giuseppe Biondi Zoccai & Giacomo Frati & Pasquale Avino & Matteo Vitali, 2020. "Impact of Electronic Alternatives to Tobacco Cigarettes on Indoor Air Particular Matter Levels," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-10, April.
    7. David T. Levy & Christopher J. Cadham & Yameng Li & Zhe Yuan & Alex C. Liber & Hayoung Oh & Nargiz Travis & Mona Issabakhsh & David T. Sweanor & Luz Maria Sánchez-Romero & Rafael Meza & K. Michael Cum, 2022. "A Decision-Theoretic Public Health Framework for Heated Tobacco and Nicotine Vaping Products," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-17, October.
    8. Marina Vaz & Pedro Cascais & Olga Lourenço, 2024. "Use of and Beliefs toward Novel Tobacco and Nicotine Products among Portuguese University Students: A Pandemic Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(4), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Yvonne C. M. Staal & Wieneke Bil & Bas G. H. Bokkers & Lya G. Soeteman-Hernández & W. Edryd Stephens & Reinskje Talhout, 2022. "Challenges in Predicting the Change in the Cumulative Exposure of New Tobacco and Related Products Based on Emissions and Toxicity Dose–Response Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-15, August.
    10. Hagai Levine & Zongshuan Duan & Yael Bar-Zeev & Lorien C. Abroms & Amal Khayat & Sararat Tosakoon & Katelyn F. Romm & Yan Wang & Carla J. Berg, 2023. "IQOS Use and Interest by Sociodemographic and Tobacco Behavior Characteristics among Adults in the US and Israel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-14, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:8108-:d:439442. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.