Sensory Perception of Sweet Flavors in E-Cigarette

Despite the explosive popularity of sweet flavored electronic cigarettes, there is little empirical evidence regarding how "sweet" flavors interact with different levels of nicotine to reduce its perceived bitterness and harshness, and thereby increase its appeal and additive potential. This study will serve to fill this knowledge gap through empirical psychophysical data that will determine the association between sweet flavor and nicotine and its link to the acceptance and rejection of vaped nicotine.

Completed

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Key information

Conditions

Smoking Behavior

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon, 97330, United States

About this study

We will recruit current, healthy e-cigarette users between the ages of 18-35.This study will require 1 visit to the Oregon State University campus to partake in a 1 hour (approximate) testing session. During the testing session, participants will be asked to puff commercial e-cigarettes containing 9 commercially available e-liquid preparations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Healthy adults between 18-35 years of age; have been vaping for at least 1 month; currently use an e-cigarette that contains nicotine; have used an e-cigarette with medium (9-12 mg/mL) or high (18 to 36 mg/mL) nicotine strength at some point in their e-cigarette using history.

Exclusion criteria

Do not have mouth or throat problems that would keep subject from vaping comfortably; do not have health problems that would keep subject from tasting or smelling normally; do not have any food ingredient allergies and have never had an allergic reaction to propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin; do not have any respiratory allergies (i.e., frequent sneezing, nasal congestion, nasal discharge); do not have a history of pulmonary disease or asthma; are not in the process of trying to quit vaping; are not pregnant, breast feeding, or trying to become pregnant.

Treatment and study plan

E-cigarettes with varying concentrations of nicotine & flavor

Other

Subjects will be asked to vape various e-cigarettes containing e-liquids at three concentrations of nicotine and sweet flavor (9 stimuli per subject).

Primary outcomes

Hedonic and Intensity Ratings

Time frame: Until July 2018

The outcome will be ratings obtained for liking or disliking of the stimulus and ratings for perceived intensities of sensations. These quantitative values collected from the scaling procedure will be analyzed corresponding to the level of nicotine and flavor for the particular stimulus. For rating perceived intensity, we will use the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS), developed for measurement of the intensity of oral sensation and taste. The scale is bounded by 'no sensation' at the bottom to 'strongest imaginable sensation of any kind' on top, with intermediate ratings between (bottom to top: barely detectable, weak, moderate, strong, very strong). A Labeled Hedonic Scale (LHS) will be used to measure individuals' liking or disliking of the oral sensation. The scale encompasses from "most disliked sensation imaginable" on one end to "most liked sensation imaginable" on the other end, with intermediate hedonic labels (like/dislike: slightly, moderately, very much, extremely).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Oregon State University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2018
Primary completion: 2018
Study completion: 2018
First posted: Nov 6, 2017
Registry last updated: Oct 11, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed