Motives of Tobacco Use Among Young Adults in the United States Air Force

Purpose Research has focused on cigarette use motives and have not included military personnel. The current study assessed tobacco use motives for different products, and differences within males and females and those with different racial identities given historical disparities in tobacco use. Design A cross-sectional survey about tobacco use was administered from October 2019 to February 2022. Setting Four Technical Training bases in the US. Sample Air Force Airmen who used tobacco (N = 3243). Measures Questions were about sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco use, and the Tobacco Motives Inventory (representing affect regulation, boredom, enhancement, and social motives). Analysis Linear regressions assessed associations between overall tobacco use and motives. Stratified analyses assessed associations between tobacco use and motives among males and females, and individuals from different racial backgrounds. Logistic regressions assessed differences in motives and use of different tobacco products between “some day” and “everyday” users. Results Overall, boredom (B = .09, SE = .01) and affect regulation (B = .05, SE = .00) motives were associated with higher tobacco use. Males and females and individuals from different racial backgrounds endorsed different motives, but all endorsed boredom as a motive for higher tobacco use. Individuals who used cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or smokeless tobacco “some days” endorsed higher social motives than everyday users, but everyday users endorsed different motives across products. Conclusion There are motives differentiating between “some day” and “everyday” users of tobacco products, which may need to be differentially targeted in intervention programs. Additionally, there are some overlapping motives (affect regulation, boredom) that may be beneficial to address with all tobacco users.