Correlates of the Nicotine Metabolite Ratio in Alaska Native People Who Smoke Cigarettes

• Main Authors: Vogel, Erin A, Benowitz, Neal L, Skan, Jordan, Schnellbaecher, Matthew, Prochaska, Judith J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2022
• Subjects: Biological Psychology; Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; Psychology; Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities; Prevention; Substance Misuse; Tobacco; American Indian or Alaska Native; Tobacco Smoke and Health; Clinical Research; Cancer; Stroke; Cardiovascular; Good Health and Well Being; Adult; Alaskan Natives; Binge Drinking; Cigarette Smoking; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Female; Humans; Male; Menthol; Middle Aged; Nicotine; Smoking Cessation; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; Tobacco Products; Tobacco Use Disorder; nicotine metabolite ratio; Alaska Native; smoking; nicotine metabolism; Substance Abuse; Clinical and health psychology; Indian; Inupiaq; Alaska
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ws5352z

Research on nicotine metabolism has primarily focused on white adults. This study examined associations between nicotine metabolism, tobacco use, and demographic characteristics among Alaska Native adults who smoke cigarettes. Participants (N = 244) were Alaska Native adults who smoked and who provided a plasma sample at baseline (70.1%) or follow-up (29.9%) of a randomized controlled trial of a cardiovascular risk behavior intervention. At baseline, participants self-reported age, sex, Alaska Native heritage, cigarettes per day, time to first cigarette upon wakening, menthol use, perceived difficulty staying quit, tobacco withdrawal symptoms, and past-month tobacco product use, binge drinking, and cannabis use. At 3-, 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-ups, participants self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence from smoking. Height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Participants' nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR), calculated as the ratio of plasma cotinine and trans-3' hydroxycotinine, was log-transformed. The sample (52.0% male, age M = 47.0 years [SD = 13.8], 60.3% of Inupiaq heritage) averaged 12.5 cigarettes per day (SD = 10.5); 64.0% smoked within 30 min of wakening. NMR was not significantly associated with age, sex, Alaska Native heritage, BMI, cigarettes per day, time to first cigarette upon wakening, menthol use, perceived difficulty staying quit, past-month dual tobacco product use, withdrawal symptoms, past-month binge drinking, past-month cannabis use, or abstinence from smoking (all p-values > .050). Characteristics that relate to NMR in Alaska Native adults may differ from those typically identified among white adults. Specifically, results may suggest that Alaska Native adults with slower nicotine metabolism do not titrate their nicotine intake when smoking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).