Abstract
Objective
Systematic review of research examining consumer preference for the main electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) attributes namely flavor, nicotine strength, and type.
Method
A systematic search of peer-reviewed articles resulted in a pool of 12,933 articles. We included only articles that meet all the selection criteria: (1) peer-reviewed, (2) written in English, and (3) addressed consumer preference for one or more of the e-cigarette attributes including flavor, strength, and type.
Results
66 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Consumers preferred flavored e-cigarettes, and such preference varied with age groups and smoking status. We also found that several flavors were associated with decreased harm perception while tobacco flavor was associated with increased harm perception. In addition, some flavor chemicals and sweeteners used in e-cigarettes could be of toxicological concern. Finally, consumer preference for nicotine strength and types depended on smoking status, e-cigarette use history, and gender.
Conclusion
Adolescents could consider flavor the most important factor trying e-cigarettes and were more likely to initiate vaping through flavored e-cigarettes. Young adults overall preferred sweet, menthol, and cherry flavors, while non-smokers in particular preferred coffee and menthol flavors. Adults in general also preferred sweet flavors (though smokers like tobacco flavor the most) and disliked flavors that elicit bitterness or harshness. In terms of whether flavored e-cigarettes assisted quitting smoking, we found inconclusive evidence. E-cigarette users likely initiated use with a cigarette like product and transitioned to an advanced system with more features. Non-smokers and inexperienced e-cigarettes users tended to prefer no nicotine or low nicotine e-cigarettes while smokers and experienced e-cigarettes users preferred medium and high nicotine e-cigarettes. Weak evidence exists regarding a positive interaction between menthol flavor and nicotine strength.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-15-2018
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194145
Related Content
All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
S1 Appendix. Search strategy, included, and excluded articles full list. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194145.s001
S1 Table. PRISMA checklist. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194145.s002
Repository Citation
Zare, Samane; Nemati, Mehdi; and Zheng, Yuqing, "A Systematic Review of Consumer Preference for E-Cigarette Attributes: Flavor, Nicotine Strength, and Type" (2018). Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications. 12.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/agecon_facpub/12
S1 Appendix. Search strategy, included, and excluded articles full list.
journal.pone.0194145.s002.doc (64 kB)
S1 Table. PRISMA checklist.
Included in
Agricultural Economics Commons, Behavioral Economics Commons, Chemicals and Drugs Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in PLOS ONE, v. 13, 3, e0194145, p. 1-18.
© 2018 Zare et al.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.