In the United States, nearly 1 in 5 adults (an estimated 47.1 million) reported current tobacco product use in 2020. Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the US, resulting in more than 480,000 deaths per year, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. Certain populations are disproportionately affected by cigarette and commercial tobacco product use. Menthol tobacco products pose a significant risk to public health and achieving health equity because of their role in initiation, dependence, reduced success at quitting, and in contributing to health disparities. Advancing health equity requires addressing the health disparities related to commercial tobacco and factors such as the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing tactics which target specific groups and communities, the use of flavors to entice specific groups, the pressures of discrimination, poverty, and other social conditions that can increase tobacco use and worsen health outcomes, as well as some groups experiencing barriers to healthcare and treatment. Potential benefits from the removal of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from the market would help with addressing health inequities, reducing disease and death from commercial tobacco use, reducing youth initiation and addiction, and increasing the number of smokers who reach their quit goals.
The Rhode Island Tobacco Control Program (RITCP) proposes this project to increase the State of Rhode Island’s capacity to address the underlying social determinants of health, health behaviors, and social norms related to commercial tobacco use, specifically around the use of menthol and other flavored tobacco products. RITCP will work with federal, state, and local partners to focus on communities' disparate use of menthol and other tobacco-flavored products and the impact on health equity. Working to engage community level leadership and expanding the statewide coalition, RITCP hopes to build the capacity to implement culturally tailored activities to address the four key strategies: 1) engage diverse partners to promote and support social, economic, and community change to increase awareness of the harms of menthol and other flavored tobacco product use and availability of cessation services; 2) educate the public, community leaders, partners, and decision makers on policy, systems, and environmental changes that can prevent and reduce menthol tobacco use; 3) implement culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions tailored for community needs to prevent and reduce menthol and other flavored tobacco product use, and 4) use research, surveillance, and evaluation to measure progress made in reducing tobacco use and menthol tobacco-related disparities and inform public health action.
RITCP’s approach will result in the following outcomes: (1) increased participation, engagement, and mobilization among inclusive and diverse multi-level and multi-sectoral partners in promoting social, economic, and community changes, (2) increased knowledge of the harms of menthol and other flavored tobacco use among youth and populations experiencing tobacco-related disparities and increased public support for evidence-based tobacco control interventions, (3) increased awareness of cessation services and coverage options among populations experiencing tobacco-related disparities, (4) increased equitable adoption, implementation, and enforcement of policies prohibiting the sale of menthol and other flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies and activities implemented will help to ensure a sustainable and comprehensive approach to achieving identified outcomes and ultimately help Rhode Island achieve the four Centers for Disease Control and Prevention best practice goals for tobacco control programs and help to promote the health of Rhode Islanders.
