Summary
Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the 2013 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS) regarding electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among middle and high school students. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use and its association with other tobacco products, specifically cigarettes and hookahs. The text includes a discussion of the potential implications of e-cigarette use among adolescents.
Key Points:
* The FYTS is a school-based, anonymous, self-completed survey administered annually to Florida public middle and high school students since 1998.
* The survey used a two-stage cluster probability sample design and obtained parental consent through passive or active permission forms.
* The study sample included 6,440 middle school students and 6,175 high school students, with an overall response rate of 83% and 75%, respectively.
* Sociodemographic variables included sex, grade, and race/ethnicity, with race/ethnicity categories being non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic/Latino, and other.
* Tobacco use was categorized as ever or current use, with ever use defined as trying a product at least once and current use defined as use within the past 30 days.
* The study found a higher prevalence of ever and current cigarette smoking and hookah use among high school students compared to middle school students.
* Among middle school students, there were no significant differences in ever or current e-cigarette use by sex. However, non-Hispanic black middle school students had a significantly lower prevalence of lifetime use compared with non-Hispanic white students.
* Among high school students, male students had a higher prevalence of ever and current e-cigarette use compared to female students. Non-Hispanic white students reported the highest prevalence of ever e-cigarette use.
* Among high school students, 43.3% of those who reported ever smoking a hookah also reported ever using e-cigarettes, and 21.9% of those who reported ever smoking a hookah reported current e-cigarette use.
* Hierarchical logistic regression modeling found that middle school students who reported ever using cigarettes or hookahs had significantly higher odds of ever using e-cigarettes.
* High school students who reported ever using cigarettes or hookahs also had significantly higher odds of ever using e-cigarettes.
Main Message:
The study highlights the increasing trend of e-cigarette use among adolescents in Florida and its association with other tobacco products, such as cigarettes and hookahs. The study suggests that e-cigarette use may be correlated with use of multiple tobacco products and indicates a need for further examination to assess if e-cigarettes are used for tobacco cessation or uptake among adolescents. The findings also suggest that future research and regulation should consider the role that flavorings might play in experimentation and uptake of non-cigarette tobacco products by adolescents. Overall, health professionals should be alert to the potential risks of addiction and harm that may be associated with e-cigarette use, especially if e-cigarettes play some role in introducing young users to other tobacco products.
Citation
Barnett, Tracey E., Eric K. Soule, Jamie R. Forrest, Lauren Porter, and Scott L. Tomar. “Adolescent Electronic Cigarette Use.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 49, no. 2 (August 2015): 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.013.
