Purpose: The purpose of the study is to understand how varying the flavors (“Tobacco,” “Menthol,” and “Unflavored”) available for an electronic cigarette or (e-cigarette) product impacts measures of tobacco use behavior, biological measures of cigarette and e-cigarette exposure, and the likelihood someone might use/abuse these products. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine but likely have fewer toxic chemicals compared to cigarettes. For smokers, e-cigarettes could be a less harmful alternative if used as a complete substitute for all cigarettes and other smoked tobacco products. E-cigarettes are not currently approved by the FDA as a quit smoking aid. This study focuses on Black/African American menthol cigarette smokers because this group of individuals has historically been unfairly targeted by the tobacco industry and harmed by tobacco products. In addition, limited research has been conducted with African Americans to identify possible policies to reduce these harms. The results of this study will help us to better understand the effects of e-cigarette product flavors and their potential to reduce harm among African American menthol smokers.

Study Details: This study involves attending visits in-person on the VCU medical campus and completing study-related online surveys and phone calls, responding to daily text message/online surveys, and providing urine samples. If you meet the eligibility criteria to participate, we will ask you to complete a baseline smoking week (Week 0). Then you will be randomized to an e-cigarette product flavor condition which could involve tobacco flavored, menthol flavored and/or an unflavored e-cigarette product. You will receive your study e-cigarette product for 6 weeks. During this time, you will be asked to use the study e-cigarette product to replace some or all of your own brand menthol cigarettes and to avoid using any other nicotine/tobacco products. About 1 month after the 6-week period ends, we will ask you to complete an additional online survey about your tobacco use and how you feel.

Confidentiality: VCU and the VCU Health System have established secure research databases and computer systems to store information and to help with monitoring and oversight of research. Your information may be kept in these databases but are only accessible to individuals working on this study or authorized individuals who have access for specific research related tasks.

Payment: You will be paid $40 for completing the in-person screening to determine your eligibility to participate ($20 for survey and other measures + $20 for breath and urine samples). Completion of daily surveys are $1 a day with a $10 bonus for completing 7 days/surveys in a row for a total possible compensation of $119 (over 7 weeks). If you are eligible and choose to participate, you will be asked complete a remote visit on weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5 ($20 for survey and other measures at each visit). For the in-person visits, you will be paid $40 for survey and other measures + $20 for breath and urine samples ($60 in total at each visit). During week 2 and 5 you will be paid an additional $20 per visit for completing the interview. You will also be paid $30 at the in-person week 3 and week 6 visits for returning your used e-cigarette pods in the containers we will provide to you. For the online follow-up survey you will be paid $20. You can receive a $75 bonus for completing all study visits from the baseline week through week 6. Parking/travel compensation is $10 per in-person visit.

If you complete all phone calls and comply with answering daily surveys and in-person visits you can receive up to $654 (varies based on the number of daily surveys completed, whether you bring back your used study products, and whether you complete all study activities).

Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to find out how different types of electronic cigarette/vape e-liquids of differing nicotine concentrations affect blood nicotine levels, use behavior (how you puff), and how you feel.

Study Details: In this study, you will be asked to do the following things:
1. Visit the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products 4 times for approximately 3-hour study visits.
2. Before each visit, abstain from all tobacco products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vapes, cigars, and hookah/waterpipe) for at least 12 hours.
3. We will take a blood pressure reading (with blood pressure cuff on your arm) and monitor your heart rate (with a device that attaches to your finger). A nurse will insert an IV catheter into your arm that will stay there for the entire session. This catheter will be used to draw blood periodically (less than 1 tablespoon per sample, 5 samples).
4. During each session, we will ask you to respond to several questionnaires to measure how you feel before and after you use an e-cigarette.
5. In each session, you will receive an e-cigarette loaded with e-liquid that contains nicotine. During the session we will ask you to use the electronic cigarette we provide at two separate times. After you have used the e-cigarette two times, we will offer you the opportunity to use your own brand of cigarettes.
6. Three months following your final session at the laboratory, we will call, email, or text you to complete a short follow-up survey. This survey will include questions about your recent cigarette and e-cigarette use.

Confidentiality: How will information about me be protected? VCU has established secure research databases and computer systems to store information and to help with monitoring and oversight of research. Your information may be kept in these databases but are only accessible to individuals working on this study or authorized individuals who have access for specific research related tasks.

Payment: You will be paid $15 for completing the initial screening visit. You will be paid for the time that you are not using tobacco prior to session and for your time in the laboratory: you will receive $75 after the first session, $100 after the second, $150 after the third, and $200 after the fourth session. For the follow-up survey, you will receive $10. In all, you can earn $550 for completing this study. All in-person visits (screening and sessions) will be paid in cash. Compensation for the follow-up survey will be paid via emailed or texted Amazon gift card.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to better understand how e-cigarette nicotine flux impacts several behavioral economic measures of abuse liability.

Study Details: If you meet eligibility criteria, we will ask you to participate in five sessions, the first four sessions will last about 3.5 hours and the final session will last about 3 hours. We will also ask for you to complete a follow-up survey 3 months after your final in-lab session. All in-lab sessions will happen here at the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products located on VCU’s campus. Before each session, we will ask you to abstain from all tobacco and nicotine containing products for at least 12 hours. We will also ask you to abstain from caffeinated beverages for 1 hour before each session.

In each session you will have an opportunity to complete two types of behavioral tasks focused on either an e-cigarette or your own brand cigarette. One set of tasks will ask you to work to earn puffs of the session product or either the session product or your own brand cigarette. The other task will ask you to estimate how many times you would like to use puffs of the session product or the session product and your own brand cigarettes.

Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and the consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.

Payment: If asked to complete an in-person screening you can earn $15. However, if you are eligible and you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete a behavioral task where you can earn up to $40 at the in-person screening. You will receive $75 after the first session, $100 after the second, third and fourth sessions, and $125 after the fifth session. You will receive $10 for the follow-up survey. In all, you can earn $565 for completing this study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how tobacco product flavor regulations such as a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars could impact future tobacco use behavior among Black/African American menthol cigarette smokers. This study is also interested in how the information we present about a proposed tobacco flavor regulation (i.e., “framing”) affects responding.

Study Details: Interested individuals will be asked to visit a study-specific webpage to view detailed information about the study. If you agree to participate, we will ask you to complete screening questions make sure the study is right for you. If you are eligible, you then will be prompted to complete the full study survey which should take less than 30 minutes. After finishing the survey, you have the option to participate in a short semi-structured interview about your overall reactions to the study. These optional interviews will occur in-person or via phone (your preference) within 1 month following online survey completion. All participants will receive tobacco/prevention resources via email or mail (your preference).

Confidentiality: VCU and the VCU Health System have established secure research databases and computer systems to store information and to help with monitoring and oversight of research. Your information will be kept in these databases and are only accessible to individuals working on this study or authorized individuals who have access for specific research-related tasks. 

Payment: All payments from this study are sent via email using an Amazon.com gift card (worth the US Dollar $ amount indicated for each activity described below). Completion of the online screening questions is worth $5. If you choose to complete the screening questions, you will be paid $5 regardless of whether you are deemed eligible or not. Completion of the additional full study survey questions is worth $35. Thus, eligible individuals receive $40 in total for completing the online survey portion of the study. Completion of the optional semi-structured interview portion of the study is worth an additional $40.

Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to examine how three different doses of an oral nicotine pouch and your own brand of smokeless tobacco affect blood nicotine levels and how you feel.

Study Details: In this study you will be asked to do the following things:

1. Visit the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products 4 times for approximately 4-hour study visits.
2. Before each visit, abstain from all tobacco products (smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes/vapes, cigarettes, cigars, and hookah/waterpipe) for at least 12 hours.
3. We will take a blood pressure reading (with blood pressure cuff on your arm) and monitor your heart rate (with a device that attaches to your finger). A nurse will insert an IV catheter into your arm that will stay there for the entire session. This catheter will be used to draw blood periodically (less than 1 tablespoon per sample, 5 samples).
4. During each session, we will ask you to respond to several questionnaires to measure how you feel before and after you use a nicotine pouch or smokeless tobacco.
5. In each session, you will receive a nicotine pouch or smokeless tobacco that contains nicotine. During each session we will ask you to use the nicotine pouch or smokeless tobacco that we provide two separate times.

Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.

Payment: You will be paid $15/hr for completing the initial screening visit. For the study sessions, you will be paid $75 for completion of the first session, $100 for completing session 2, $150 for completing session 3, and $200 for completing session 4 for a total of $540. All payments will be in cash.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to understand how varying the flavors (“Tobacco” and “Menthol”) available for a heated tobacco product (Phillip Morris International - IQOS) impacts measures of tobacco use behavior, nicotine exposure, and the likelihood someone might use/abuse these products. The IQOS heated tobacco product was recently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be marketed as a tobacco product that exposes smokers to less harmful chemicals than traditional cigarettes. This study focuses menthol cigarette smokers because menthol smokers have been shown to have a harder time quitting tobacco than users of non-menthol cigarettes. Additionally, FDA’s proposed product standard banning menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes is likely to disrupt the normal tobacco use patterns of this population, presenting them with an opportunity to switch the products they use.  The results of this study will help us to better understand the effects of heated tobacco product flavors and their potential to reduce harm among menthol smokers. 

Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and the consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.

Payment: Following the brief online “pre-screener” and obtaining of informed consent, you will be asked to complete the in-person screening session for $25. If your responses indicate you are eligible to continue participation, you will be asked to participate in 4 clinical lab sessions spread out over the proceeding 2 weeks. Lab sessions will take place on Monday ($50/session) and Friday ($100/session) of each week. Additionally, beginning the Monday of the 1st week, you will be asked to complete daily surveys (<3 min) reporting your tobacco use from the previous day ($2 a day for 2 weeks for a total possible compensation of $28). The total possible compensation for this study, if you complete all study activities (screening, 4 clinical lab sessions, 14 daily surveys) is $353. All payments from this study will be paid out in cash in US Dollars.