Abstract
Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine knowledge and attitudes to lower harm alternatives to cigarettes among New Zealand ( NZ) smokers.
Methods: The NZ arm of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Survey (ITC Project) utilizes the NZ Health Survey ( a national sample). From this sample, we surveyed adult smokers (N = 1,376).
Results: Knowledge about smokeless tobacco was poor, with only 16% regarding such products as less harmful than ordinary cigarettes. Only 7% considered such products to be "a lot less" harmful. When participants were asked to assume that these products were much less harmful than cigarettes, 34% of smokers stated that they would be interested in trying smokeless tobacco products, with another 11% saying "maybe" or "don't know." In the multivariate analysis, Maori smokers were significantly more interested in trying smokeless products than Europeans in all 3 models considered ( e. g., Model 1: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.23-2.37). There was also significantly increased interest for those concerned about the impact of smoking on health and quality of life in the future ( AOR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.17-1.78). But interest did not vary significantly by 2 measures of socioeconomic status and varied inconsistently by 2 measures of financial stress.
Discussion: The finding that one third of smokers said that they would be interested in trying smokeless products suggests that these products could have a role as part of a tobacco epidemic endgame that phases out smoked tobacco. Differences in interest level by ethnic group may be relevant to stimulating further work in this area ( e. g., among those health workers concerned for smokers with the highest need to quit).