The epidemiology of smoking has evolved dramatically over the last decade as it appears that cigarette consumption (cigarettes per day) is continuing to decline. Studies on the association between environmental features (place restrictions, cost, and secondhand smoke policies) and cigarette consumption patterns are rapidly emerging in the literature. However, change in smoking prevalence has not been consistent across all groups (e.g., women, youth, and racial/ethnic minorities). This is important in both developed and developing countries. Studies addressing specific research questions related to cigarette consumption are needed in the field.

The main focus of this special issue will be the compilation of research on the emerging science describing tobacco consumption patterns. Given the introduction of innovative products, new tobacco use patterns may result in (1) switching smokers exclusively to other tobacco products, (2) dual use, (3) growth in the number of social or occasional smokers, and (4) disparities in smoking practices. We strongly encourage the submission of analyses using cohort studies, laboratory or natural experiments, or intervention studies. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Effects of smoking restrictions on tobacco use patterns
• Dual use, combined use, or patterns of occasional tobacco consumption
• Patterns of tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries
• Use of novel tobacco products (low-yield cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, waterpipe, etc.)
• Effects of socioeconomic disparities on tobacco use
• Measures of tobacco use (number of cigarettes per day)
• Categorization of smokers with biomarkers

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: