The association between e-cigarette use characteristics and combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms: Results from a national longitudinal study

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the relationship between e-cigarette use and combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms among exclusive smokers. The study uses data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to examine the association between e-cigarette use characteristics and combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms at Wave 2. The Heckman 2-step selection procedure was adopted to deal with potential selection bias.

Key Points:

* The study included 2727 exclusive smokers who smoked cigarettes in the past 12 months at Wave 1 and did not use any other tobacco products or e-cigarettes in the past 12 months.
* Three outcome measures for combustible cigarette use at Wave 2 were examined: frequency, quantity, and dependence symptoms.
* E-cigarette use was measured as a binary variable, and three characteristics of e-cigarette use were available from most e-cigarette users: frequency, flavoring, and voltage adjustment.
* Control variables included cigarette and other substance use and sociodemographic variables at Wave 1.
* The study found that higher frequency of e-cigarette use was associated with lower combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms, controlling for the corresponding baseline cigarette use variable and other confounders.
* Flavoring was associated with lower quantity of cigarette use.
* The study demonstrates that this high-risk group of dual users (i.e., using combustible and electronic cigarettes) may benefit from using e-cigarettes to reduce combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms.

Main Message:
The study suggests that e-cigarette use may be a potential harm reduction device among exclusive smokers, as higher frequency of e-cigarette use was associated with lower combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms. However, the opposite potential as the "gateway drug" to combustible cigarettes remains a growing concern, especially about young people's use behaviors. The study also highlights the importance of examining the long-term effects of e-cigarette use on smoking cessation and the potential impact of e-cigarette use characteristics on combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms.

Buu, Anne, Yi-Han Hu, Megan E. Piper, and Hsien-Chang Lin. “The Association between E-Cigarette Use Characteristics and Combustible Cigarette Consumption and Dependence Symptoms: Results from a National Longitudinal Study.” Addictive Behaviors 84 (September 2018): 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.03.035.