An examination of the shift in school-level clustering of US adolescent electronic cigarette use and its multilevel correlates, 2011–2013

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the relationship between e-cigarette use and school context in the United States. It discusses the trends in e-cigarette use among adolescents and the role of schools in shaping these behaviors. The text also examines the potential explanatory pathways linking school-level e-cigarette use to individual use. Readers will learn about the study's design, methods, and key findings regarding the relationship between e-cigarette use and school context.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) in 2011 and 2013 to analyze the relationship between e-cigarette use and school context.
* The study finds that schools have become more differentiated by their rate of e-cigarette use between 2011 and 2013.
* School-level e-cigarette use is associated with an individual's odds of e-cigarette use, even after controlling for individual-level characteristics such as age, sex, and race.
* Perceptions of the harm associated with e-cigarettes do not explain the link between school-level use and individual use.
* The study controls for individual-level conventional smoking status, which reduces the magnitude of the association between school-level e-cigarette use and individual use.
* The study finds that 84.3% of between-school differences in electronic cigarette use in 2013 are accounted for by school-level e-cigarette use and individual-level factors.
* The study highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between e-cigarette use and school context to inform regulatory measures aimed at discouraging teenage e-cigarette use.

Main Message:
The text emphasizes the significance of school context in shaping e-cigarette use among adolescents. The study's findings suggest that schools with higher rates of e-cigarette use are associated with higher odds of individual use, even after controlling for individual-level characteristics. The study's results provide valuable insights for policymakers and regulators seeking to address the rise in e-cigarette use among adolescents. The text underscores the need for regulatory measures such as eliminating the use of flavoring agents in e-cigarette products, restricting e-cigarette advertisements and internet sales, adopting uniform age restrictions on e-cigarette purchases, and prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in places where conventional cigarettes are similarly prohibited. The text emphasizes that these measures are necessary to dissuade teenage e-cigarette use and protect public health.

Corsi, Daniel J., and Adam M. Lippert. “An Examination of the Shift in School-Level Clustering of US Adolescent Electronic Cigarette Use and Its Multilevel Correlates, 2011–2013.” Health & Place 38 (March 2016): 30–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2015.12.007.