Summary
Introduction:
This article, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2016, investigates the perceptions of e-cigarettes and noncigarette tobacco products among US youth. The study aims to describe the correlates of perceptions of harm and addictiveness of e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco compared with cigarettes and to assess trends in perceptions of e-cigarettes over time.
Key points:
* The study uses data from the 2012 and 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a repeated cross-sectional survey of grade 6 to 12 students.
* The study finds that most US youth view e-cigarettes as less harmful and addictive than cigarettes, while far fewer think similarly about cigars and smokeless tobacco.
* Perceived safety correlates with use of each tobacco product.
* Between 2012 and 2014, increasing numbers of US youth thought they were able to assess the relative harm of e-cigarettes and increasingly believed that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes.
* Use of each product was associated with a perception of decreased harm and addictiveness in adjusted analyses.
* Being male, being a non-Hispanic white, and residing with a household member who used that product were also associated with perceptions of decreased harm and addictiveness.
Main message:
The study highlights the importance of understanding youth perceptions of tobacco products, as these perceptions are associated with use. The findings suggest that the increasing popularity and perceived safety of e-cigarettes among US youth may contribute to their continued use, and underscore the need for regulation and public health efforts to combat changing social norms around tobacco use.
Citation
Amrock, Stephen M, Lily Lee, and Michael Weitzman. “Perceptions of E-Cigarettes and Noncigarette Tobacco Products Among US Youth.” Pediatrics 138, no. 5 (November 1, 2016): e20154306. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-4306.
