E-cigarette use frequency mediates effects in three randomized controlled trials of reduced nicotine cigarettes with tobacco vs preferred flavor E-cigarettes in high-risk populations in the U.S.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is authorized to implement a nicotine-reducing standard to decrease smoking. Three recent trials found switching to very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes produced the greatest reduction in cigarettes/day and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL, a tobacco-specific carcinogen) among adults from high-risk populations when participants also received preferred- vs tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes. This pooled secondary analysis investigates e-cigarette use frequency as a mechanism driving these effects.

Methods

Participants (U.S. adults with affective disorders, adults with opioid use disorder, and reproductive-age females with ≤high-school education) were randomized to 16 weeks of VLNC cigarettes with preferred-

SUBMITTER: Klemperer EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12291598 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature