The article, “Sociodemographic Differences in Menthol Cigarette use in the United States,” has been published in SAj in Volume 44 Issue 1-2.
In this commentary, the authors state that menthol cigarette use is associated with higher smoking initiation and reduced smoking cessation. The authors investigated sociodemographic differences in menthol and non-menthol cigarette use in the United States.
In the AUTHORS’ OWN WORDS, they relate the importance of their work:
“The results from our study revealed that the likelihood of being an individual who currently smokes cigarettes is higher among individuals who used menthol cigarettes (ie, lower cessation rates) compared to individuals who used non-menthol cigarettes. The addictiveness and higher appeal of these cigarettes, as reported previously, may explain this difference.”
“Consistent with our findings, higher usage of menthol cigarettes in youth and young adult population has been reported. This is because, more so than adults, the adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to the effects of nicotine, and menthol has been shown to increase the number of nicotinic receptors and the dopamine response, which increases the susceptibility even more. As previously reported, our study also confirmed the higher prevalence of menthol cigarette use in women.”