Self-Identified Tobacco Use and Harm Perceptions Among US Youth

Introduction:
This article provides an analysis of tobacco use and harm perceptions among US youth. The study aims to understand the relationship between tobacco use and self-identity, as well as the perceived harm of different tobacco products. The findings can inform clinical and public health practice, particularly in relation to tobacco screening, counseling, surveillance, and youth educational programs.

Key Points:

* The study used data from the 2016 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) to investigate whether adolescents who used specific tobacco products identified themselves as recent tobacco users.
* The analysis included single-product users of cigarettes, hookah, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and loose tobacco products, as well as poly-tobacco users.
* The study found that many adolescents who used tobacco products did not identify themselves as tobacco users, particularly those who used e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigars.
* Exclusive users of e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigars had lower perceived harm of their own products compared to other tobacco products.
* RYO and/or pipe tobacco smokers had the lowest proportions reporting perceived harm of all tobacco products and cigarettes compared with every other tobacco user group.
* Youth who obtained their tobacco from social sources, those who report no symptoms of nicotine dependence, and those who use certain products with a wide variety of flavors were all more likely to deny being users of any tobacco product.
* The study suggests that increasing the sensitivity of questions used to assess youth tobacco use in surveys and clinical settings can help mitigate nondisclosure or underreporting of true tobacco use status.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of understanding tobacco-related self-identity among youth, as many adolescents who use tobacco products do not identify themselves as tobacco users. The findings suggest that increasing the sensitivity of questions used to assess youth tobacco use in surveys and clinical settings can help mitigate nondisclosure or underreporting of true tobacco use status. Additionally, addressing protobacco social and contextual factors, such as youth-oriented tobacco advertising, marketing, product design, and packaging, can help reduce tobacco use among youth.

Agaku, Israel, Satomi Odani, Constantine Vardavas, and Linda Neff. “Self-Identified Tobacco Use and Harm Perceptions Among US Youth.” Pediatrics 141, no. 4 (April 1, 2018): e20173523. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3523.