Abstract
INTRODUCTION High income jurisdictions are banning menthol/flavored cigarettes and other tobacco products because they attract young people and create dependence. This study explores the importance of menthol and other flavored tobacco products for tobacco markets in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), identifies countries where the menthol/flavor share is particularly high or rapidly growing, and identifies strategies tobacco companies are using to develop menthol/flavor markets. METHODS Research involved analysis of menthol/flavor market data from 2005 to 2019, a systematic review of academic literature, and a scoping exercise with our advocate contacts in LMICs. RESULTS The median menthol/capsule market share of the cigarette market grew significantly (p<0.05) between 2005 and 2019, both in lower and upper middleincome countries [lower: 2.5% (IQR: 0.5-4.0) to 6.5% (IQR: 3.6-15.9); and upper: 4.0% (IQR: 0.8-9.8) to 12.3% (IQR: 3.5-24.3)]. Countries with both high market share and high market share growth were Russia, Guatemala, Peru and Nigeria. No market data were available on low-income countries, but the academic literature suggested high prevalence of menthol use in Zambia. Tobacco industry strategies underpinning growth of menthol/flavored tobacco use in LMICs included in-store marketing and display, colorful packs and non-conventional flavor names. CONCLUSIONS Menthol/flavor tobacco products are a growing problem in LMICs. In addition to menthol/flavor bans, we recommend marketing bans, point of sale display bans and standardized packaging.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 39 |
| Journal | Tobacco Induced Diseases |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Apr 2022 |
Bibliographical note
This research was funded by the STOP project. STOP is a global tobacco industry watchdog whose mission is to expose the tobacco industry strategies and tactics that undermine public health. STOP is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.Funding
The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. To the best of our ability, the journal considers that this also includes the late Mateusz Zatoński. K. Silver reports that in the past 36 months she was a researcher with the TobaccoTactics team, part of Bath TCRG, which is funded by the STOP project, and funding was given to her Institution from Bloomberg Philanthropies. S. Plummer reports that in the past 36 months she was employed by the University of Bath as a third year placement student for the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), Department for Health, and that her post was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies STOP Project. R. Hiscock reports that since the initial planning of the work, the article processing charges were paid by the STOP Project Bloomberg Philanthropies and that the University of Bath subscribes to Euromonitor Passport and the data were accessed through the University of Bath library portal. Finally, R. Hiscock reports that in the past 36 months she was employed by the University of Bath as a Research Associate for the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), Department for Health, and that her post was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies STOP Project.
Keywords
- capsules
- cigarettes
- flavor
- LMIC
- menthol
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
