Kids Drawn to 'Gateway' Flavored Tobacco: FDA
Sweet-tasting additives have widespread appeal, expose teens to nicotine
MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Candy, fruit and other flavorings are hooking America's next generation of nicotine addicts, a new U.S. government study finds.
Among kids aged 12 to 17 who had used tobacco, four out of five said the first product they tried was flavored, whether it was hookah, e-cigarettes, little cigars or smokeless tobacco, U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers found.
In addition, most current teen tobacco users said that they had indulged in a flavored tobacco product within the past 30 days, according to findings published Oct. 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This confirms our worst fears," said Dr. Norman Edelman, senior scientific advisor for the American Lung Association. "Young people are being hooked on tobacco products through the use of flavoring that appeals to them. When you see flavorings like bubble gum in a tobacco product, it's obvious who they're appealing to."
Although flavors other than menthol are prohibited in cigarettes in the United States, flavored non-cigarette tobacco products are widely available and may appeal to youth, according to background information in the article.
In the study, researchers at the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products examined flavored tobacco use among kids using data from the 2013-2014 Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a nationally representative survey that included 13,651 U.S. teens.
The survey revealed that about 21 percent had used tobacco. About 81 percent of these teens said the first tobacco product they ever tried had been flavored to taste of menthol, mint, clove, spice, candy, fruit, chocolate or some other sweet flavor.
In addition, about 80 percent of kids who'd used tobacco over the past 30 days said they had used a flavored product, the FDA researchers found.
Kids who said they use tobacco "because they come in flavors I like" include about four out of five e-cigarette users and hookah users; nearly three-quarters of cigar users; and more than two-thirds of smokeless tobacco users.
"Flavored tobacco products have become increasingly common in the United States and are especially attractive to youth," said FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum. "As such, the FDA is particularly interested in monitoring and assessing the use of flavored tobacco products among youth."
Kids Drawn to 'Gateway' Flavored Tobacco: FDA
Sweet-tasting additives have widespread appeal, expose teens to nicotine
MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Candy, fruit and other flavorings are hooking America's next generation of nicotine addicts, a new U.S. government study finds.
Among kids aged 12 to 17 who had used tobacco, four out of five said the first product they tried was flavored, whether it was hookah, e-cigarettes, little cigars or smokeless tobacco, U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers found.
In addition, most current teen tobacco users said that they had indulged in a flavored tobacco product within the past 30 days, according to findings published Oct. 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This confirms our worst fears," said Dr. Norman Edelman, senior scientific advisor for the American Lung Association. "Young people are being hooked on tobacco products through the use of flavoring that appeals to them. When you see flavorings like bubble gum in a tobacco product, it's obvious who they're appealing to."
Although flavors other than menthol are prohibited in cigarettes in the United States, flavored non-cigarette tobacco products are widely available and may appeal to youth, according to background information in the article.
In the study, researchers at the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products examined flavored tobacco use among kids using data from the 2013-2014 Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a nationally representative survey that included 13,651 U.S. teens.
The survey revealed that about 21 percent had used tobacco. About 81 percent of these teens said the first tobacco product they ever tried had been flavored to taste of menthol, mint, clove, spice, candy, fruit, chocolate or some other sweet flavor.
In addition, about 80 percent of kids who'd used tobacco over the past 30 days said they had used a flavored product, the FDA researchers found.
Kids who said they use tobacco "because they come in flavors I like" include about four out of five e-cigarette users and hookah users; nearly three-quarters of cigar users; and more than two-thirds of smokeless tobacco users.
"Flavored tobacco products have become increasingly common in the United States and are especially attractive to youth," said FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum. "As such, the FDA is particularly interested in monitoring and assessing the use of flavored tobacco products among youth."
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