Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia
Abstract Nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular. However, there’s still a lack of comprehensive data on how widespread nicotine pouch use and its side effects in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated side effects of the use of nicotine pouches among s...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15070-0 |
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| author | Hassan Alwafi Abdallah Y. Naser Ranad Alharbi Sara Tawakkul Aseel Albayhie Wed Alsaiari Joud Aloqilyi Layan Althagafi Abdulelah M. Aldhahiri Abdullah A. Alqarni Jaber S. Alqahtani Saeed M. Alghamdi Saleha Khan Hamza Alsaggaf Mohammad Saleh Dairi Alaa A. Alsharif |
| author_facet | Hassan Alwafi Abdallah Y. Naser Ranad Alharbi Sara Tawakkul Aseel Albayhie Wed Alsaiari Joud Aloqilyi Layan Althagafi Abdulelah M. Aldhahiri Abdullah A. Alqarni Jaber S. Alqahtani Saeed M. Alghamdi Saleha Khan Hamza Alsaggaf Mohammad Saleh Dairi Alaa A. Alsharif |
| author_sort | Hassan Alwafi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular. However, there’s still a lack of comprehensive data on how widespread nicotine pouch use and its side effects in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated side effects of the use of nicotine pouches among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia. This study also investigated their utilization in smoking cessation. This study used an online cross-sectional questionnaire-based design. The study population included individuals over the age of 18 living in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was distributed through social media platforms. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were used to generate means and percentages. Regression analysis was performed to predict factors associated with the use of nicotine pouches for the purpose of smoking cessation. A total of 657 participants were included in the analysis. Regarding age distribution, the majority were aged between 18 and 30 years. Most participants were male (422; 64.2%). Regarding the prevalence of nicotine pouches use, (21.2%) had tried the pouches before. Among those who had used nicotine pouches, 57 participants (41.0%) reported success in quitting smoking, while 53 participants (38.1%) experienced only a little success, and 29 participants (20.9%) were unsuccessful. The most common adverse effect was nausea (88, 13.4%), followed by fatigue (44, 6.7%) and headache (43, 6.5%). Participants who smoked 4–6 cigarettes per day, 7–9 cigarettes per day, or more than 10 cigarettes per day had higher odds of nicotine pouch use (OR = 3.70,95% CI = 1.14–11.96, p = 0.02), (OR = 6.74,95% CI = 1.71–26.5, p = 0.006) and (OR = 2.59,95% CI = 1.07–6.26, p = 0.03). This study showed a promising result of the use of nicotine pouches and success in quitting smoking in Saudi Arabia population. Most of the side effects reported in the study were mild. However, future studies with larger sample size and analytical design are needed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-96d615f681ee44f2ba3d518bde0bba77 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-96d615f681ee44f2ba3d518bde0bba772025-08-20T04:01:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-011511910.1038/s41598-025-15070-0Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi ArabiaHassan Alwafi0Abdallah Y. Naser1Ranad Alharbi2Sara Tawakkul3Aseel Albayhie4Wed Alsaiari5Joud Aloqilyi6Layan Althagafi7Abdulelah M. Aldhahiri8Abdullah A. Alqarni9Jaber S. Alqahtani10Saeed M. Alghamdi11Saleha Khan12Hamza Alsaggaf13Mohammad Saleh Dairi14Alaa A. Alsharif15Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra UniversityDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityRespiratory Therapy Program, Department of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan UniversityDepartment of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz UniversityDepartment of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health SciencesClinical Technology Department, Respiratory Care Program, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura UniversityCollege of Medicine and Surgery, Batterjee Medical CollegeDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura UniversityDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityAbstract Nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular. However, there’s still a lack of comprehensive data on how widespread nicotine pouch use and its side effects in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated side effects of the use of nicotine pouches among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia. This study also investigated their utilization in smoking cessation. This study used an online cross-sectional questionnaire-based design. The study population included individuals over the age of 18 living in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was distributed through social media platforms. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were used to generate means and percentages. Regression analysis was performed to predict factors associated with the use of nicotine pouches for the purpose of smoking cessation. A total of 657 participants were included in the analysis. Regarding age distribution, the majority were aged between 18 and 30 years. Most participants were male (422; 64.2%). Regarding the prevalence of nicotine pouches use, (21.2%) had tried the pouches before. Among those who had used nicotine pouches, 57 participants (41.0%) reported success in quitting smoking, while 53 participants (38.1%) experienced only a little success, and 29 participants (20.9%) were unsuccessful. The most common adverse effect was nausea (88, 13.4%), followed by fatigue (44, 6.7%) and headache (43, 6.5%). Participants who smoked 4–6 cigarettes per day, 7–9 cigarettes per day, or more than 10 cigarettes per day had higher odds of nicotine pouch use (OR = 3.70,95% CI = 1.14–11.96, p = 0.02), (OR = 6.74,95% CI = 1.71–26.5, p = 0.006) and (OR = 2.59,95% CI = 1.07–6.26, p = 0.03). This study showed a promising result of the use of nicotine pouches and success in quitting smoking in Saudi Arabia population. Most of the side effects reported in the study were mild. However, future studies with larger sample size and analytical design are needed.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15070-0NicotineSmokingNicotine pouchesSmokersPrevalenceDescriptive study |
| spellingShingle | Hassan Alwafi Abdallah Y. Naser Ranad Alharbi Sara Tawakkul Aseel Albayhie Wed Alsaiari Joud Aloqilyi Layan Althagafi Abdulelah M. Aldhahiri Abdullah A. Alqarni Jaber S. Alqahtani Saeed M. Alghamdi Saleha Khan Hamza Alsaggaf Mohammad Saleh Dairi Alaa A. Alsharif Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia Scientific Reports Nicotine Smoking Nicotine pouches Smokers Prevalence Descriptive study |
| title | Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full | Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia |
| title_short | Prevalence, safety, and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in Saudi Arabia |
| title_sort | prevalence safety and role of nicotine pouches in smoking cessation among smokers and the public in saudi arabia |
| topic | Nicotine Smoking Nicotine pouches Smokers Prevalence Descriptive study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15070-0 |
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