Skip to main content
TSRC, Tob. Sci. Res. Conf., 2021, 74, abstr. 28

Premarket assessment of conditional risk perceptions and intentions to use the RELX Infinity ENDS among national probability samples of adult tobacco users and non-users in the United States

RUSSELL C.; BURNETT R.
Russell Burnett Research and Consultancy, Glasgow, Scotland UK

Collecting data on tobacco product risk perceptions and use intentions can inform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) evaluation of the population’s likelihood of using a new tobacco product. This study assessed conditional long term health risk perceptions and intentions to use the RELX Infinity ENDS (RIE) among legal age adult (LAA) tobacco users and non users. National probability samples of adults aged ≥21 years in the United States who were either Established Current Smokers (ECS, n=2,014), Established Former Smokers (EFS, n=2,089), or Non-Smokers (NS, n=2,123) completed an online questionnaire between 5-30 November, 2020. Positive intention to trial the RIE was reported by 27.2% (95CI: 24.8%, 29.7%) of ECS; 5.4% (4.4%, 6.6%) of EFS; 3.4% (2.6%, 4.3%) of NS; and 1.0% (0.5%, 1.8%) of never smokers. Positive intention to use the RIE to help quit smoking cigarettes completely was reported by 19.1% (16.6%, 21.9%) of the subset of ECS who, prior to exposure to the RIE, did not plan to quit smoking within the next six months. ECS believed that completely switching from cigarettes to the RIE would reduce their lifetime risk for several developing tobacco-related diseases. However, ECS believed their lifetime health risks could be reduced furthest by instead completely switching to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products or by ceasing all tobacco and nicotine use. Results suggest the RIE, if marketed in the United States, would have high appeal to existing LAA smokers as an alternative to cigarettes but low appeal to LAA non smokers, and that LAA smokers would likely perceive a switch to NRTs or cessation of all tobacco and nicotine use as representing better options for their health compared to switching to the RIE.