Electronic Cigarettes and Conventional Cigarette Use Among US Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction:
This text discusses a cross-sectional study examining the relationship between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and conventional cigarette use and smoking cessation among US adolescents. The study uses data from the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) to investigate this relationship.

Key Points:

* The study found that e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of ever or current cigarette smoking, higher odds of established smoking, and higher odds of planning to quit smoking among current smokers.
* Among experimenters with conventional cigarettes, ever use of e-cigarettes was associated with lower 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year abstinence from cigarettes.
* Current e-cigarette use was also associated with lower 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year abstinence among ever smokers of cigarettes.
* The study controlled for demographic covariates such as race, gender, and age.
* The study used a three-stage clustered probability sampling design without replacement to select primary sampling units (county, several small counties, or portion of large county), schools within each primary sampling unit, and students within each school.
* Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic students were oversampled.
* Written permission to participate was obtained from parent or legal guardians, and institutional review board approval was waived.

Main Message:
The study suggests that e-cigarette use is associated with higher odds of cigarette smoking and lower odds of smoking cessation among US adolescents. Therefore, e-cigarettes may not be effective in discouraging conventional cigarette use and may even encourage it. The study highlights the need for regulation of e-cigarettes to prevent their use among adolescents and minimize the potential negative health impacts.

Dutra, Lauren M., and Stanton A. Glantz. “Electronic Cigarettes and Conventional Cigarette Use Among US Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study.” JAMA Pediatrics 168, no. 7 (July 1, 2014): 610. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.5488.