# The Unvarnished Truth: Pursuing Health Equity by Correcting Disinformation Targeting African Americans about the FDA's Proposed Ban on Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $631,104

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
In April 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes
and all characterizing flavors in cigars. African Americans have high rates of menthol cigarette and flavored cigar
use, which likely contributes to their disproportionate experience of tobacco-related health conditions. In
response to the FDA’s announcement, the tobacco industry and its sources promulgated disinformation in
African American communities about the increased criminalization and police discrimination for using tobacco
products when the rules are enforced. Although the FDA has stated that it cannot and will not enforce actions
against individual consumers for possessing or using menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars, disinformation about
the flavor ban and its harmful impacts continues spreading among African American communities. The proposed
study seeks to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of multi-level, anti-disinformation messages (ADM) to
disrupt the spread and mitigate the detrimental effects of disinformation about the FDA’s proposed ban on
menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. In Aim 1, we will employ community-based participatory research
methods to develop and engage with an Expert Advisory Board (EAB) that will engage in shared decision-making
and provide their perspectives on all study activities. In Aim 2, we will conduct formative research to a)
characterize the tobacco industry and its operatives’ rhetoric about the consequences of the anticipated flavor
ban and b) elicit AA/Bs’ knowledge and perceptions about the anticipated flavor ban. Aim 2 data will inform the
development of the Intervention Mapping (IM) logic models that depict the behavioral and environmental risk
factors and determinants of respondents’ flavor ban receptivity. In Aim 3, we will use of IM process to develop,
pre-test, and refine the individual and community-level ADM and creative concepts among AA/B participants.
Finally, in Aim 4, we will conduct a randomized treatment and control evaluation design to test the effectiveness
of our individual and community-based ADM campaign on AA/Bs’ receptivity to the flavor ban and counter-
industry beliefs. Knowledge gained from this study will inform the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products
Communication Office and state and local public health departments regarding salient messages to
communicate about the flavor ban to AA/B and other vulnerable populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10890858
- **Project number:** 5R01MD018728-02
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Kymberle L Sterling
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $631,104
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-19 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10890858

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10890858, The Unvarnished Truth: Pursuing Health Equity by Correcting Disinformation Targeting African Americans about the FDA's Proposed Ban on Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars (5R01MD018728-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10890858. Licensed CC0.

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