Summary
Introduction:
This text is a research paper that explores the perspectives of young dual users of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and cigarettes in California. The study aims to understand how these young people make sense of their dual using practices and perceive the tobacco laws that govern their behaviors. The research is based on in-depth qualitative interviews with young people between the ages of 15-25 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The participants were recruited through various means, and all provided signed consent to participate in the research. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and integrated with ATLAS.ti software for qualitative coding and analysis.
Key points:
* The study found that the average age of participants was 21 years old, and half of them identified as women, racial or ethnic minorities, and sexual minorities.
* Most participants reported receiving government-assisted healthcare for low-income individuals or being uninsured.
* The majority of the participants who reported vaping in the past 30 days were dual users of ENDS and cigarettes.
* The participants described the utilitarian meaning they ascribed to the practice of dual use, which helped them move towards smoking reduction and/or cessation.
* Participants emphasized the pleasure they get from smoking and vaping, and how vaping could replace or approach that pleasure.
* Despite some variation in perspective, participants generally expressed dispassionate support for smoke-free air laws that included vaping.
* Participants expressed more concerns about Tobacco 21 laws, which they saw as illogical and potentially harmful to their smoking cessation efforts.
* Participants' narratives suggest that some young dual users find themselves in a precarious position, sharing public health goals of smoking cessation while facing public health regulations that obstruct those goals.
Main message:
The main message of this text is that young dual users of ENDS and cigarettes in California perceive the utility of dual use and view vaping as a tool for reducing smoking-related harm in the near term and facilitating quitting smoking in the long term. However, restrictive tobacco control policies, such as Tobacco 21 laws, may create barriers for some youth to displace their smoking habit with less harmful practices. Therefore, policymakers should consider the perspectives and experiences of young dual users in shaping tobacco control strategies that benefit the health of all young people.
Citation
Antin, Tamar M.J., Geoffrey Hunt, Emily Kaner, and Sharon Lipperman-Kreda. “Youth Perspectives on Concurrent Smoking and Vaping: Implications for Tobacco Control.” International Journal of Drug Policy 66 (April 2019): 57–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.01.018.
