Problem/Objective: Recently, tobacco companies have again tried to address smokers' concerns about the health risks of smoking by offering new types of tobacco products, potentially reduced exposure products or PREPs, claiming reduced health risks. The experience of light cigarettes suggests caution in accepting the claims made by tobacco companies that these products indeed offer reduced exposure to the health risks of smoking. In this study, we propose to use an experimental method to measure smokers' preferences for PREPs and how marketing and countermarketing information affects those preferences.

Methods: We conducted an experimental auction in which participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: (1) a group receiving official marketing information about the PREP, (2) a group receiving one of two countermarketing messages, (3) a group receiving both marketing and countermarketing information, or (4) a group receiving no information (control). In the experimental auction, participants reveal their preferences for PREPs relative to their usual brand of cigarette. Our experimental design allows us to alter the information participants receive about the PREPs available in the auction; by comparing the bids across information groups, we can assess how different information sources affect preferences. We also plan to investigate the relationship between smokers' preferences for PREPs and interest in quitting.

Results: At this time all data have been collected. We expect results by 5/31/07.

Conclusions: This study has the potential to provide important information on the relationship between marketing and counter-marketing information for PREPs and smokers' preferences for PREPs.