E-Cigarette Use Among Florida Youth With and Without Asthma

Introduction:
This text is a study on e-cigarette use among Florida youth with and without asthma. The study aims to assess the prevalence of e-cigarette use among youth by asthma and metropolitan status and examine the associations between e-cigarette use, susceptibility to cigarette smoking, and asthma attack. The study was conducted using data from the 2012 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey.

Key Points:

* Prevalence of ever and past 30-day e-cigarette use among students who reported having asthma were 10.4% and 5.3%, respectively, higher than those without asthma (7.2% and 2.5%, respectively, p<0.01).
* Among students with asthma, e-cigarette use was more common among those in non-metropolitan and rural counties than those in metropolitan counties (p < 0.05).
* Ever and past 30-day e-cigarette use was associated with cigarette smoking susceptibility among participants with asthma and those who never tried cigarettes (n=2,410; ever use, AOR=3.96, 95% Cl=l.49, 10.56; past 30-day use, AOR=422.10, 95% Cl=50.29, > 999.99).
* Past 30-day e-cigarette use was associated with having an asthma attack in the past 12 months among participants with asthma (n=5,865, p < 0.01).
* The study was conducted using data from the 2012 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, a cross-sectional survey of Florida high school students.
* The survey included questions on demographics, asthma status, ever and past 30-day use of e-cigarettes, cigarette smoking susceptibility, and having asthma attacks in the past 12 months.
* Data were weighted to be representative of Florida high school students.
* The study found that e-cigarette use is more common among Florida high school youth with asthma and is associated with susceptibility to cigarette smoking.

Main Message:
The study highlights the need for further research on the potential health risks associated with e-cigarette use among youth with asthma. The findings also suggest that e-cigarette use is associated with cigarette smoking susceptibility and having asthma attacks among youth with asthma. These results underscore the importance of implementing regulatory measures to prevent e-cigarette use among youth, especially those with asthma. Additionally, public health education campaigns should inform youth about the potential risks associated with e-cigarette use.

Choi, Kelvin, and Debra Bernat. “E-Cigarette Use Among Florida Youth With and Without Asthma.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 51, no. 4 (October 2016): 446–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.03.010.