FDA and NIH collaborate on tobacco risk research to improve public health messaging

FDA and NIH collaborate on tobacco risk research to improve public health messaging

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have launched a study to assess the impact of the tobacco product risk continuum on different populations and provide data support for public education strategies.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official website on August 21, the FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today awarded a cooperative agreement grant (U01) titled "From Cognition to Behavior: A Comprehensive Approach to Studying the Impact of Public Health Communication Messages on the Tobacco Product Risk Continuum."

The principal investigators of the project are Dr. Meghan Moran of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Andy Tan of the University of Pennsylvania, who will conduct health communication research to better understand the impact that messages about the tobacco product risk continuum may have on different populations.

The study was first announced through a funding opportunity notice released in August 2023, and is intended to provide CTP with data to help it develop potential public education efforts to convey the concept of the tobacco product risk continuum, that is, there is a spectrum of health risks from different tobacco products. Specifically, the study will explore how the FDA can accurately communicate relative risks to adults who use combustible tobacco while ensuring that this information does not attract other audiences, particularly adolescents.

According to the FDA, there is currently limited research in this area, and this project aims to fill this gap by collecting data to optimize public health communication efforts on this topic. To educate smoking adults about existing research, the agency launched a new website on the relative risks of tobacco products in April 2024, including information about e-cigarettes.

This collaborative agreement is the latest funding achievement of the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program (TRSP). TRSP is a long-standing cross-agency partnership between the FDA and NIH to promote tobacco regulatory research.