Addiction and Behavior Related to Menthol Cigarette Substitutes

Primary outcomes

1. Puffing Topography: Puff Duration

   Time frame: Phase 1, Four visits; 20 minute puffing session in total.

   Average puff duration for each participant, in seconds.

2. Puffing Topography: Inter-puff-interval

   Time frame: Phase 1, Four visits; 20 minute puffing session in total.

   Inter-puff-interval, the average time between each puff for each participant, in seconds.

3. Puffing Topography: Puff Flow Rate

   Time frame: Phase 1, Four visits; 20 minute puffing session in total.

   Puff flow rate, the average rate of air flow during each puff for each participant, in ml/second.

4. Puffing Topography: Total Puff Volume

   Time frame: Phase 1, Four visits; 20 minute puffing session in total.

   The total volume of all puffs taken for each participant, in ml.

5. Drug Effects/Liking Questionnaire

   Time frame: Phases 1 and 3 - Up to 3 weeks

   An adapted version of the Drug Effects/Liking Questionnaire will assess the desire and liking of UBMC and all three study products, positive and negative effects (i.e., side effects), and perceived strength and effectiveness. Five visual analog scale items ranging from 0 ('not at all') to 100 ('extremely') assessed wanting to smoke the product again, liking the product, enjoying the product, finding the product pleasurable and satisfying.

6. Modified Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ)

   Time frame: Phase 1 - Up to 2 weeks

   The modified Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ) will assess subjective responses to cigarettes (e.g., reward, satisfaction). The 11-item mCEQ includes five subscales: Smoking Satisfaction, Psychological Reward, Aversion, Enjoyment of Respiratory Tract Sensations, and Craving Reduction, with items rated from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely likely). Items are averaged to create each of the subscales also ranging from 1 to 7 with higher values indicating greater levels of smoking satisfaction, psychological reward, aversion, enjoyment of respiratory tract sensations, an craving reduction.

7. Modified Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ)

   Time frame: Phase 3 - Approximately 3 hours

   The modified Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ) will assess subjective responses to cigarettes (e.g., reward, satisfaction). The 11-item mCEQ includes five subscales: Smoking Satisfaction, Psychological Reward, Aversion, Enjoyment of Respiratory Tract Sensations, and Craving Reduction, with items rated from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely likely). Items are averaged to create each of the subscales also ranging from 1 to 7 with higher values indicating greater levels of smoking satisfaction, psychological reward, aversion, enjoyment of respiratory tract sensations, an craving reduction.

8. Cigarette Purchase Task

   Time frame: Phase 1 - Up to 2 weeks

   The Cigarette Purchase Task will ask participants how much they would be willing to pay (ranging from 0 cents to $1) to smoke each product. Given that the study products will look similar to cigarettes, we will retain the original language (e.g., 1 cigarette) in the purchase task. Willingness to spend more will indicate greater abuse liability. Pmax (the price associated with the maximal expenditure, i.e., the highest price before the curve changes from inelastic to elastic), and breakpoint (the last price in which consumption is greater than 0) are reported.

9. Cigarette Purchase Task

   Time frame: Phase 3 - Approximately 3 hours

   The Cigarette Purchase Task will ask participants how much they would be willing to pay (ranging from 0 cents to $1) to smoke each product. Given that the study products will look similar to cigarettes, we will retain the original language (e.g., 1 cigarette) in the purchase task. Willingness to spend more will indicate greater abuse liability. Pmax (the price associated with the maximal expenditure, i.e., the highest price before the curve changes from inelastic to elastic), and breakpoint (the last price in which consumption is greater than 0) are reported.

10. Tiffany-Drobes Questionnaire of Smoking Urges: Brief Form (Modified)

    Time frame: Phase 1-3 - Up to 3 weeks

    Smoking urges/craving will be measured using the Tiffany-Drobes Questionnaire of Smoking Urges: Brief Form. This is a 10-item measure where participants rate smoking-related items (All I want right now is a cigarette) on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Similar to previous studies, we will collapse the items into two previously identified factors (Factor 1: strong desire and intention to smoke; Factor 2: anticipation of relief from withdrawal symptoms). Scores are calculated by summing the items and range from 5 to 35 with higher scores indicating greater craving to smoke.

11. Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale

    Time frame: Phase 1-3 - Up to 3 weeks

    Nicotine withdrawal will be assessed using the empirically validated 15-item version of the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale (MNWS). Items were rated on a 5-point scale from 0 (none) to 4 (severe). This measure assesses smoking craving, anger/irritability, anxiety, depressed mood, restlessness/difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, sleep problems, and somatic symptoms (nausea, constipation, sore throat, dizziness, coughing). MNWS is the sum of 7 items with scores ranging from 0 to 28 and MNWS Craving is a single item with scores ranging from 0 to 4, higher scores indicate a greater craving.

12. Subjective Effects (EMA)

    Time frame: Phase 2 - 1 week

    Subjective effects (EMA) of the Phase 2 substitute product will be derived from daily diary EMAs assessing product satisfaction and pleasure. Self-report measure with items rated from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely).

13. Cross Price Elasticity Task

    Time frame: Phases 1 - Up to 2 weeks

    A Cross-Price Task in Phases 1 and 3 will estimate substitutability of the study product for the UBMC. Participants will be asked how many study products and UBMCs they would consume when the price of the study product is fixed at $1 and the UBMC prices escalate. The data are then fit to an exponential equation that indicates whether the fixed-price product substitutes for the primary product, and the degree of substitution. Cross price elasticity (CPE) for each study product compared to UBMC > 0.2 indicates substitution, CPE < -0.2 indicates complementarity, and CPE between -0.2 and 0.2 indicate independence of the two products.

14. Cross Price Elasticity Task

    Time frame: Phase 3 - Approximately 3 hours

    A Cross-Price Task in Phases 1 and 3 will estimate substitutability of the study product for the UBMC. Participants will be asked how many study products and UBMCs they would consume when the price of the study product is fixed at $1 and the UBMC prices escalate. The data are then fit to an exponential equation that indicates whether the fixed-price product substitutes for the primary product, and the degree of substitution. Cross price elasticity (CPE) for each study product compared to UBMC > 0.2 indicates substitution, CPE < -0.2 indicates complementarity, and CPE between -0.2 and 0.2 indicate independence of the two products.

15. Progressive Ratio Task (UBMC vs. Study Product)

    Time frame: Phase 3 - Approximately 3 hours

    The PR task will simulate the effect that restricting menthol in cigarettes would have on increasing (or not) preference for other alternative menthol substitutes. Participants will complete a 90-minute concurrent choice task with different cost (effort) required to earn the reinforcement (2 puffs) from their UBMC and the study product (mFLC or mRYO). Puffs from the study product can be earned by clicking a computer mouse 10 times on a picture of the study product, but to earn two puffs of the UBMC, they will required to make escalating response requirements (computer mouse clicks) according to the following schedule: 10, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2400, 3600, 4800, 6000, 7200, and 8400. A maximum of 10 reinforcers (20 puffs) per session will be allowed. Participants will be informed of the different sequence between products and instructed that the session are 3 hours in length no matter how much or how little they respond.

16. Use Behavior (EMA)

    Time frame: Phase 2 - 1 week

    Participants will receive on EMA delivered randomly during the day and an evening daily diary (around 30mins before bedtime). Random EMAs will assess: mood, affect, nicotine craving and withdrawal symptoms, stress, recency of smoking, alcohol use, current setting, and switching self-efficacy; daily diary EMAs will assess UBMC/study product smoked per day, product satisfaction and pleasure. Substitution assessed via use behavior during Phase 2 will be operationalized as the ratio of study product to UBMC used, with a ratio > 0 indicating any substitution and a ratio > 1 indicating substitution of study product for the UBMC at least 50% of the time.