Potential behavioral responses following a hypothetical ban on tobacco price promotions among US adults who use commercial tobacco

<h2>ABSTRACT</h2><h3>Introduction</h3> The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control included tobacco price promotion bans as a part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy. We examined how US adults who use commercial tobacco would react to a hypothetical national ban on tobacco price promotions. <h3>Methods</h3> Data were from a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults (≥21 years) between March-May 2024. Participants who used discount coupons and price promotions during the 12 months prior to the survey and were currently using commercial tobacco (n=608) reported if they would engage in a list of behaviors more frequently to save money on tobacco (e.g., buying a cheaper brand, quitting tobacco and e-cigarette use) in the case of a national ban on tobacco discount coupons and price promotions. Weighted prevalence of these behaviors and predicted marginal probabilities by demographics were estimated. <h3>Results</h3> Among US adults who used tobacco discount coupons and promotions, 33.1% reported they would quit using tobacco and e-cigarettes in response to a nationwide ban on tobacco price promotions. However, 95.9% reported they would engage in tobacco expenditure minimizing strategies (TEMS) more frequently (e.g., finding less expensive places to buy cigarettes or e-cigarettes=73.0%, purchasing by bulk=58.7%, using a cheaper form of tobacco=38.7%). Probabilities of engaging in these strategies varied somewhat by demographics. <h3>Conclusions</h3> While a national ban on tobacco price promotions may promote tobacco use cessation, most adults who used tobacco price promotions would increase TEMS use to continue commercial tobacco use, highlighting the importance of simultaneously addressing shifts in TEMS use.