Ann W. St. Claire, MPH¹, Lisa M. Hund, MPH, CHES¹, Rosaleen H. Chou, BA¹, Matthew C. Farrelly, PhD¹, and Lyndon Haviland, DrPH². (1) RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Rd, P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, 919-541-7063, astclaire@rti.org, (2) Chief Operating Officer, American Legacy Foundation, 2030 M Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036

Tobacco companies have recently introduced new products that claim to have reduced toxins and carcinogens and hence may be less harmful to smokers. Since the introduction of these new products, the scientific community has debated their harm reduction potential, and tobacco control advocates have discussed the implications of public perceptions of safety. As consumers become increasingly aware of new tobacco products, it is important to understand smokers’ awareness, risk perceptions, and use of these products. In 2002 and 2003, the American Legacy Foundation sponsored a nationally representative survey of adults that addresses these questions entitled, the American Smoking and Health Survey (ASHES). Preliminary results indicate that over 48% of adults in the 2002 survey were aware of at least one PREP and that number decreased to 42% in 2003. While only a small percentage of the adults surveyed (9% in 2002 and 12% in 2003) have actually tried PREPS, substantially more adults were interested in trying them (51% in 2002 and 43% in 2003). Data from both waves of ASHES will be pooled to assess sociodemographic differences in awareness, risk perceptions, and use of PREPs. Pooling the data will allow for greater power to assess comparisons between groups. Specifically, this analysis will focus on examining differences by age, race, gender, education, income, and quit intentions. Implications of this research include tailoring interventions to prevent future PREPs use.

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