Despite a 641% sales increase, researchers found that nicotine pouches are not as popular with US adults as believed to be. Photo credit: Aphis Marta, CC4.0.
According to a recent study published in JAMA, the use of nicotine pouches among US adults remains relatively low, despite a staggering 641% increase in product sales from 2019 to 2022. Researchers suggest that these findings prompt inquiries into the demographics of users and their motivations behind the substantial sales growth in nicotine pouches in the US.
A recent study conducted by the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the University of Nebraska Medical Center analyzed nicotine pouch use among a nationally representative sample of 39,557 US adults. The study gathered data through the Current Population Survey (CPS) Tobacco Use Supplement in September 2022, a monthly survey of US adults known for its rigorous methods ensuring a representative sample of the population. This reliability makes the findings influential in shaping policy decisions.
The study found that 2.9% of adults had ever used nicotine pouches, with 0.4% currently using them. Most current pouch users also smoked cigarettes. Additionally, 5.2% of individuals who had attempted to quit smoking in the past year and had relapsed reported using nicotine pouches to aid in their cessation efforts.
Adults currently smoking (10.8%) or former smokers (6.7%) were more likely to have ever used pouches than those who never smoked (1.1%). Current use was also higher among current smokers (1%) and former smokers (0.7%) compared to non-smokers (0.2%). Pouch usage, past and present, was lower among adults under 65 but more prevalent among males and non-Hispanic whites.
According to the study, among current smokers who attempted to quit in the past year, a larger proportion reported attempting to switch to e-cigarettes (21.6%) compared to nicotine pouches (5.2%) as aids in quitting.
Study co-author Adam Matthew Leventhal, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and executive director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science, said, “The low prevalence of nicotine pouch use in adults surprised us, given the rapid increase in sales. But it's also possible that the sales are being diverted to adolescents, who were not represented in this survey."
One question prompted by these findings is whether adults using nicotine pouches might be doing so to supplement nicotine intake in situations where smoking or other tobacco products are not viable, rather than as a cessation aid. This pattern, noted Leventhal, could potentially exacerbate nicotine dependence instead of reducing health risks associated with smoking.
Based on the study's findings, Leventhal estimates that among all US adults who used nicotine pouches in 2022, approximately 35% were former cigarette smokers, 25% were current smokers, and the remaining 40% had never regularly smoked cigarettes.