摘要：This study examines patterns of menthol and nonmenthol cigarette use from 2003 to 2005 in a cohort of smokers, aged 16 to 24 years in the National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey. At follow-up, 15.0% of baseline menthol smokers had switched to nonmentholated cigarettes; by contrast, 6.9% of baseline nonmenthol smokers had switched to mentholated cigarettes. Differences in switching patterns were evident by gender, race/ethnicity, parental education, and smoking frequency. These data support previous evidence that young smokers start with mentholated cigarettes and progress to nonmentholated cigarettes. Following enactment of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in June 2009, 1 fruit, candy, and clove characterizing flavorings in cigarettes were banned to reduce youth smoking initiation. Menthol is the only characterizing flavor that was not banned outright by the act. Nationally representative surveys have shown an age gradient in menthol use, with the youngest smokers (aged 12–17 years) most likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes. 2 , 3 Studies of adolescents report that middle school smokers and recent initiates are more likely to use mentholated cigarettes than high school smokers and those smoking longer than 1 year, respectively. 4 With other studies, 5–7 these results argue that menthol facilitates smoking initiation and that mentholated cigarettes serve as starter tobacco products for youths. 4 Although these nationally representative studies document an age gradient in menthol use, they do not address smoking patterns in the same individuals over time and whether there is a disproportionate shift from early use of mentholated cigarettes to nonmentholated cigarette use later on. The current study assesses patterns in menthol and nonmenthol cigarette use over time in young smokers, aged 16 to 24 years.
