Table 3.
Reactions to Snus Among Experimenters and Persistent Users as Measured by the Outcome Expectancies Scale at Week 6 (n = 443)
| Reaction subscales | Experimenters | Persistent users | Total | p | Odds ratio1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (N = 180) | (N = 263) | (N = 443) | |||
| M(SD) or % agreed | |||||
| Negative affect relief (Possible range: 4–20) | 10.94 (4.48) | 14.84 (4.57) | 13.25 (4.91) | <.001 | |
| Snus helps me to relax | 12.8% | 42.2% | 30.3% | <.001 | 4.65 |
| Snus helps me deal with anger | 2.8% | 15.2% | 10.2% | <.001 | 5.95 |
| Snus calms me down when I feel nervous | 15.6% | 39.2% | 29.6% | <.001 | 3.42 |
| Snus helps me reduce or handle tension | 15.1% | 42.0% | 31.1% | <.001 | 4.00 |
| Craving reduction (Possible range: 2–10) | 5.11 (2.47) | 7.02 (2.04) | 6.24 (2.41) | <.001 | |
| Snus satisfies my nicotine cravings | 35.8% | 65.6% | 53.5% | <.001 | 3.25 |
| Snus satisfies my urges to smoke | 29.1% | 59.7% | 47.3% | <.001 | 3.44 |
| Weight control (Possible range: 3–15) | 6.14 (2.74) | 7.05 (3.22) | 6.68 (3.06) | .002 | |
| Snus keeps me from overeating | 7.3% | 19.0% | 14.3% | .001 | 4.24 |
| Snus keeps my weight down | 5.0% | 14.1% | 10.4% | .002 | 3.27 |
| Snus keeps me from eating more than I should | 8.4% | 17.1% | 13.6% | .005 | 2.40 |
| Health risks (Possible range: 2–10) | 7.11 (1.87) | 7.10 (1.98) | 7.10 (1.94) | .99 | |
| Snus is hazardous to my health | 58.1% | 60.5% | 59.5% | .64 | 1.13 |
| Snus increases the risk of cancer | 49.2 % | 58.0% | 54.4% | .08 | 1.46 |
| Quitting facilitation (Possible range: 2–10) | 5.51 (7.31) | 6.59 (2.05) | 6.15 (4.94) | .06 | |
| Snus increases my chances of quitting smoking | 24.6% | 54.0% | 42.1% | <.001 | 3.45 |
| Snus makes quitting smoking easier | 21.8% | 51.0% | 39.1% | <.001 | 3.64 |
ANCOVA = Analysis of Covariance; HSI = Heaviness of Smoking Index; SD = standard devaition; SLT = Smokeless tobacco. Bold p-values indicate significant group differences.
1Odds ratios from logistic regressions comparing experimenters versus persistent users on individual scale items. Subscales data depict results of ANCOVAs controlling for gender, past SLT use, and HSI. Items are answered on a scale of 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). Numbers for subscales represent the mean of each item within that subscale. Numbers for individual items represent the percent of participants who reported “agree” or “totally agree.” Those who reported never trying the snus that was sent or declined to have snus sent to them (n = 100) did not answer items used for these analyses and are excluded.