Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Nicotine pouches are an emerging tobacco product available in a variety of flavors. We examined flavor preferences among adults who used nicotine pouches in the past 30 days and identified characteristics associated with flavored-only versus unflavored-only use. METHODS: The 2022-23 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey data collected in the U.S. (n = 495) were used. RESULTS: Among adults who reported current nicotine pouch use, the prevalence was 81.51% for flavored-only use, 16.84% for unflavored-only use, and 1.66% for co-use. Mint was the most commonly used flavor (49.85%), followed by "other" (22.65%), menthol (7.82%), fruit (6.87%), and clove, spice, or herb (3.91%). Bivariate analysis indicated that use of flavored-only pouches was especially prevalent among 18-24 (89.93%) and 25-44 (85.73%) year-old adults, men (85.22%), non-Hispanic White (85.48%) and employed (86.10%) adults, as well as among those who formerly (88.78%), never (84.73%), or occasionally (80.74%) smoked. However, in model-assisted analysis, only sex and smoking status remained significant (p's < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide the first nationally representative estimates of flavored and unflavored pouch use among U.S. adults who reported current use of nicotine pouches in 2022-23. Future research should examine the role of flavored nicotine pouch use in tobacco use and cessation.