Personal characteristics associated with switching from Cigarettes to Non-combustible tobacco and nicotine products among U.S. adults: Findings from PATH Study Wave 1 - Wave 5.

This study examines factors associated with transitioning from smoking to non-combustible tobacco product use. We examined three different product use scenarios that may be associated with varied levels of exposure to harm. We observed that younger ages and perceiving NCs as less harmful than cigarettes were more likely to transition to NCs as compared to continued smoking and cessation, while Black or Hispanic individuals were less likely to transition to NCs. This highlights the need for more focused harm reduction efforts for racial and ethnic minority populations as a complementary strategy to cessation to reduce health disparities from smoking.