Studying the Impacts of Higher Taxes and Bans on Electronic Cigarettes to Improve Public Health

Study Summary

This clinical trial studies whether imposing higher taxes and bans on electronic cigarettes (EC) with appealing features impacts tobacco use among current and susceptible adolescents and young adults (AYA) EC users and adults who use EC or are open to EC use. ECs are currently the most popular form of nicotine or tobacco product in the United States. Compared to burned cigarette products, ECs generally pose fewer short-term harms, making them a promising tool for lowering users' exposure to toxins and cancer-causing chemicals from smoking, promoting better public health outcomes. However, evidence shows that EC marketing has increased overall initiation into nicotine use among AYAs, and that EC users are at a higher risk of becoming smokers, which could have negative public health outcomes. Therefore, understanding the public health impact of EC use and regulation remains a major goal in tobacco control research. This trial studies different scenarios which impose higher taxes or bans on ECs with appealing features. Researchers hope that by studying participant responses to the different scenarios they may be able to identify which ones best discourage EC use among AYAs while promoting adult EC users to quit smoking, which may improve public health.

Primary Outcome

Will examine how tiered taxes on AYA-appealing features (flavors, product type, nicotine concentration) impact EC use among current and susceptible AYA EC users. All hypotheses will be tested using regression analyses. Will use count data models, such as the Negative Binomial model, the Poisson model, and Multiple Discrete-Continuous Extreme Value (MDCEV) Model. Will use clustered sandwich estimators and consider mixed effects, random effects, and fixed effects in the modeling to account for the

Interventions

• OTHER Survey Administration
• OTHER Discrete Choice Study