IQOS is not an acronym: a call to researchers and journals.
Tob Control
; 30(3): 356-358, 2021 05.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32300026
ABSTRACT
In 2014, Philip Morris International (PMI) introduced the IQOS heated tobacco product system. It has been widely reported in the media that IQOS is an acronym for 'I quit ordinary smoking'. To our knowledge, PMI has never publicly used any acronym to describe or market IQOS. Moreover, PMI has repeatedly denied that IQOS is an acronym. The acronym, which is an implicit cessation claim, has also appeared in numerous peer-reviewed publications. While the origins of the acronym are unknown, PMI stands to benefit from the publicity and associated positive connotations. It is possible that early adopters of IQOS created the acronym online, which was then picked by reporters and the research community. Alternatively, given that tobacco manufacturers have used social media influencers to promote their products, it is also possible that PMI may have surreptitiously helped popularize the acronym. Regardless of its origin, researchers and journals should stop disseminating this internet myth that promotes a potentially misleading claim.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Periodicals as Topic
/
Social Media
/
Tobacco Products
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Tob Control
Journal subject:
TRANSTORNOS RELACIONADOS COM SUBSTANCIAS
Year:
2021
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States