Researchers at Rutgers University have received over $7 million in grants to study how false information and advertising affect what Black and Hispanic smokers think about the planned federal ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The studies, led by Kymberle Sterling from the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, aim to look at health differences related to menthol cigarette use among different races.
Tobacco companies have heavily advertised menthol cigarettes in Black communities. This has led to an estimated 157,000 early deaths among Black Americans between 1980 and 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black smokers are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes compared to other groups. Those who smoke menthols also find it harder to quit.
The planned federal ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars was supposed to start last year. However, it has been delayed until at least March. Sterling’s team plans to use the grant money to create messages that correct false information and provide facts about menthol cigarettes. They will study how well their public health campaign works over five years. The goal is to address the underrepresentation and differences faced by Black and Hispanic smokers when it comes to the menthol cigarette ban.
See “Rutgers researchers receive more than $7 million to study perceptions of a ban on menthol cigarettes” by Aubrey Whelan on the Philadelphia Inquirer website (February 12, 2024)
