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Light Cigarettes: A False Hope in Quitting Smoking

A study by the University of Pittsburgh reveals that smokers switching to "light" cigarettes feel they are making a healthier choice, yet, paradoxically, it hampers their quitting efforts. Analyzing data from a 2003 CDC-sponsored survey of 31,000 smokers, the results show that while those who switched attempted to quit more often, their actual success rate dropped by 46%. Misconceptions surrounding light cigarettes persist, leading smokers to believe they are safer, thus complicating their journey to cessation. The terms “light” and “mild” will be banned from packaging starting June 2010 to combat this issue.

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Light Cigarettes: A False Hope in Quitting Smoking

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  1. Light Cigarettes don’t help you quit! Corey Schaffer Shane Thomson Connor Nutland

  2. The study… • Colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Health Care analyzed data from a 2003 survey of approximately 31,000 smokers or former smokers sponsored by the CDC and the National Cancer Institute. • Smokers who traded in their so-called "full-flavor" cigarettes for cigarettes with labels such as “light” or “ultra light” made more attempts to quit smoking than others smokers, but were almost half as likely to actually quit.

  3. Continued • Studies have shown that switching to a so-called lighter cigarette appears to be associated with a lower chance of quitting, especially when people switched with the intent of quitting smoking. • Switching to the lighter cigarette gives the smoker a false sense that smoking is safe. • A significant amount of smokers and nonsmokers still believe these “light” cigarettes are healthier even though it has been known for many years that this is not true.

  4. The future • Starting June 2010 the words “light”, “ultra-light”, “mild” and “low-tar” will no longer be permitted on cigarette packaging.

  5. Results • Over 12,000 of the 31,000 surveyed (38%) at one point switched to a lighter cigarette. • People who switched to a lighter cigarette were 58% more likely to have tried quitting • The odds of quitting for the people who switched to a lighter cigarette were 46% lower than for smokers who never switched.

  6. Significance • Not only did switching to a “lighter” cigarette not help smokers quit, but it actually made it harder for them to quit. Especially if the smoker switched to the light cigarette with the intent to quit. • The odds of a smoker actually quitting once they switched to a lighter cigarette decreased by 46% compared to smokers who tried to quit but never switched.

  7. Continued • Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh believe that switching to a light cigarette may actually make smokers believe cigarettes are safe, which would undermine their attempts to quit. • The study conducted was an observational cross section. • Any type of clinical trial would have been better

  8. References • Boyles, Salynn. “Light Cigarettes Hurt Quit- Smoking Effort.” WebMd. Nov. 5, 2009. <http://www.webmd.com/smoking- cessation/news/20091105/light-cigarettes- hurt-quit-smoking-effort>.

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