The structure of consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products among the population of the Russian Federation

In the Russian Federation, after the adoption of Federal Law “On the Protection of Citizens' Health from the Effects of Tobacco Smoke and the Consequences of Tobacco Use”, the prevalence of smoking tobacco has significantly decreased. Reducing the consumption of smoking tobacco products led to the emergence of a new aggressive policy of tobacco companies, which resulted in the emergence of new “innovative” products and the concepts of “less harmful tobacco product” or “less harmful nicotine-containing product”. The undoubtedly aggressive advertising campaigns of tobacco companies and manufacturers of electronic cigarettes have affected the smoking behavior of tobacco consumers, which has begun to change in recent years.

The purpose of this study was to study new trends in the structure of consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products in various age groups of the Russian Federation, as well as among men and women.

Methods. Analysis of the structure of consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products was carried out as part of an online public opinion poll to study the level of awareness of measures to reduce the prevalence of tobacco products in the Russian Federation, initiated in 2019 by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. A total of 1 282 respondents from 73 regions of the Russian Federation took part in the survey. Among the respondents there were 447 (34.9%) men and 835 women (65.1%) aged 18 years and younger to 70 years. To conduct a comparative analysis of the structure of use of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, the frequencies of their use in different age groups, among men and women, were calculated. A statistically significant difference between the groups was confirmed by analyzing the dependence in the contingency table using the χ² criterion.

Results. A total of 432 respondents reported the use of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, which amounted to 33.7% of all respondents. The most used products were smoking tobacco (57.64%), electronic cigarettes (34.03%) and waterpipe (33.80%). However, in different age groups, the structure of their use was significantly different (p < 0.05). The highest level of electronic cigarette use, including vapors containing nicotine and electronic nicotine delivery product, were found in the age group of 18 years and younger (58.82%). In the older age groups, a significant decrease in the level of consumption was observed. Chewing tobacco and snuff were consumed by consumers significantly less than other tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco was mainly consumed by consumers aged 18 years and younger, its level was 20.58%. The highest level of waterpipe consumption was found among consumers in the age group of 19 – 29 years (53.85%), it was slightly less in the group of 18 years and younger (44.11%). The higher level of waterpipe consumption was detected (40.35%) among women than it was among men (26.47%). Many consumers indicated that they consumed several types of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. The most popular combination of products was found among consumers under the age of 30, and 20.59% of consumers aged 18 and younger consumed at the same time almost all the types of tobacco and nicotine-containing products that were presented on the market.

Conclusion. The study revealed new trends in preferences for consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. The new trends have significantly changed the structure of the consumption of these products among the population of Russian Federation.

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