Is It Time to Ban Flavored Cigarettes in Asia-Pacific Countries? A Scoping Review

Abstract

Flavored cigarettes encourage youth smoking and deter quitting. No country in Asia-Pacific, a region with some of the world’s highest smoking rates, has regulated tobacco flavors. We examined market data, academic literature, and gray literature to describe what is known on flavored cigarettes in the Asia-Pacific region. Of the 12 countries for which market data were available, ten had substantial flavored cigarette market shares ranging from 10% to 97%. With no regulations and growing markets for flavor capsule variants, the tobacco industry’s ongoing promotion of flavored cigarettes, which targets primarily youth and women, is expected to drive further increases in smoking prevalence. There are significant research and monitoring gaps on the industry’s marketing tactics and use of flavored cigarettes in the region. Given the large market shares, Asia-Pacific countries stand to benefit substantially from a tobacco flavors ban.