IQOS Use and Interest by Sociodemographic and Tobacco Behavior Characteristics among Adults in the US and Israel

Abstract

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) have expanded globally. IQOS, a global HTP leader, was launched in Israel in 2016 and the US in 2019. To inform tobacco control efforts, it is critical to understand who is likely to use HTPs in different countries with distinct regulatory and marketing contexts. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among adult (ages 18–45) online panelists in the US (n = 1128) and Israel (n = 1094), oversampling tobacco users, in the fall of 2021, and used multivariable regression to identify correlates of (1) ever using IQOS; (2) past-month vs. former among ever users; and (3) interest in trying IQOS among never users. Among US adults, correlates of ever use included being Asian (aOR = 3.30) or Hispanic (aOR = 2.83) vs. White, and past-month use of cigarettes (aOR = 3.32), e-cigarettes (aOR = 2.67), and other tobacco (aOR = 3.34); in Israel, correlates included being younger (aOR = 0.97), male (aOR = 1.64), and cigarette (aOR = 4.01), e-cigarette (aOR = 1.92) and other tobacco use (aOR = 1.63). Among never users, correlates of greater interest included cigarette and e-cigarette use in the US (β = 0.57, β = 0.90) and Israel (β = 0.88, β = 0.92). IQOS use prevalence was low (US: 3.0%; Israel: 16.2%) but represented in vulnerable subpopulations (younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities).