Cigar smoking is a significant public health concern due to its associations with various types of cancer (i.e., lung, oral cavity, larynx, and esophagus) and diseases affecting the heart and lungs (Chang et al., 2015; NCI, 1998; Vargees et al., 2023). Previous research have found that cigars are generally perceived to be less harmful than cigarette smoking (Sterling et al., 2016), but little research have explored distinctions in perceptions of the three cigar types: cigarillos, little filtered cigars, and large cigars (Corey et al., 2018). These products not only vary in size but also in patterns of use, and thus associated potential health risks (Corey et al., 2018, Mead et al., 2022). Large cigars are about one-half ounce of aged, fermented tobacco that may be hand-rolled and are generally more expensive. In contrast to large cigars, cigarillos and little filtered cigars are smaller in size (i.e., cigarillos contain about 3 g of tobacco and are about 3–4 in. long; little filtered cigars resemble cigarettes in size), available in flavors, and lower-cost, which make their use more prevalent among younger populations (Kostygina et al., 2016, Corey et al., 2018). While large cigars can deliver about 10 times the nicotine, two times the tar, and more than five times the carbon monoxide of a cigarette (NCI, 1998), cigarillos and little filtered cigars are more likely to be fully inhaled, smoked regularly, co-administered with cannabis (e.g., as blunts), and smoked concurrently with cigarettes (Corey et al., 2018, Mead et al., 2022), suggesting that the health risks associated with cigarillo and little filtered cigar smoking may be greater for these cigar types than large cigars and closer to those of cigarette smoking (Corey et al., 2018, Mead et al., 2022).

The health risks associated with cigar smoking disproportionately burdens certain priority populations in the U.S. While past 30-day cigar smoking prevalence steadily declined from 2002 to 2020 among U.S. adults overall, past 30-day prevalence of cigar smoking increased during this period among Black adults (Pacek et al., 2023). Racialized disparities in cigar smoking emerge during young adulthood (Chen et al., 2020, Chen-Sankey et al., 2021), with national data showing that Black young adults have the highest prevalence of cigarillo and little filtered cigar smoking in the U.S. (2.7 % in 2018-2019; Phan et al., 2022). Compared to White young adults, Black young adults are four to five times more likely to smoke cigarillos and little filtered cigars than large cigars (Phan et al., 2022). Analysis of national data from the 2013–2017 Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study found that Black young adults were more likely to initiate past 30-day and “fairly regular” use of cigarillos and little filtered cigars compared to White young adults (Chen et al., 2020). These trends suggest the need to understand factors that influence cigar use and initiation among Black young adults. These efforts could help reduce the substantial burden of tobacco-related illnesses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022) and early mortality borne by Black Americans (Ho et al., 2013).

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) provides a useful framework for understanding individual and interpersonal factors that may influence cigar smoking (Ajzen, 1991). According to TPB, beliefs and attitudes about cigar smoking play an important role in shaping behavior, with beliefs falling into three categories: (1) behavioral beliefs (i.e., beliefs about anticipated outcomes), (2) normative beliefs (i.e., perceived support for a behavior), and (3) control beliefs (i.e., perceived ease or difficulty in engaging in behavior). Prior research have shown that positive attitudes toward cigars are associated with daily cigarillo and little filtered cigar smoking (Sterling et al., 2019, Dunn et al., 2021). Moreover, studies using TPB as a framework have found that these belief types can help distinguish between young adults who were susceptible and those who were not to cigar smoking, with positive behavioral beliefs being especially important (Phan et al., 2023). This previous research have also found that emergent beliefs vary by cigar type, indicating the need to examine salient beliefs by cigar type (Phan et al., 2023). However, while previous findings support the relevance of TPB in understanding cigar smoking behaviors among U.S. young adults, less is known about cigar-related beliefs among Black young adults, a population that is disproportionately affected by cigarillo and little filtered cigar smoking (Sterling et al., 2019, Phan et al., 2023). Understanding Black young adults’ salient beliefs by cigar type is necessary to help examine their potential utility in prevention messaging to reduce racialized disparities in cigar smoking and ultimately promote health equity. Thus, we sought to fill this research gap by conducting a qualitative study with a sample of 30 Black young adults susceptible to established patterns of cigar smoking. Interviews were guided by the TPB, and we identified emergent behavioral, normative, and control beliefs for each cigar type.