Electronic Cigarette Use Among High School Students and Its Association With Cigarette Use And Smoking Cessation, North Carolina Youth Tobacco Surveys, 2011 and 2013

Introduction:
This article discusses a study examining the relationship between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and cigarette smoking among adolescents in North Carolina, as well as the association between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation behaviors. The study also looks at trends in adolescents' e-cigarette use over time.

Key Points:

* The study uses cross-sectional data from the 2011 and 2013 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey (NCYTS) to examine the relationship between e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking among adolescents.
* The study found that the prevalence of current e-cigarette use among North Carolina high school students increased significantly from 1.7% in 2011 to 7.7% in 2013.
* The study also found that current e-cigarette use was strongly associated with current and past cigarette use.
* Among students who reported in the 2013 survey that they thought they would try e-cigarettes in the next year, 20% had never smoked cigarettes.
* The study found that concurrent use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes was 4.4% among students surveyed in 2013, which was 3 times more than concurrent use of both products in 2011.
* The study found that adolescents who intended to quit or made any attempt to quit smoking cigarettes in the past 12 months were less likely to be current e-cigarette users.
* The study also found that adolescents who had ever abstained from cigarette smoking for long periods and used cessation aids were less likely to be current e-cigarette users than those who made no quit attempt in the past 12 months.

Main Message:
The study's findings highlight the importance of understanding the relationship between e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking among adolescents. The results suggest that efforts to regulate e-cigarettes, such as the FDA's recent announcement to extend its authority to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products, are necessary to protect adolescents from the potential negative effects of e-cigarette use. The study also emphasizes the need for public health practitioners and cessation clinic service providers to educate adolescents about the risks of using any nicotine-containing products, including e-cigarettes, and to provide adequate tobacco cessation resources and counseling to adolescent tobacco users.

Huang, Li-Ling, Sarah D. Kowitt, Erin L. Sutfin, Tanha Patel, Leah M. Ranney, and Adam O. Goldstein. “Electronic Cigarette Use Among High School Students and Its Association With Cigarette Use And Smoking Cessation, North Carolina Youth Tobacco Surveys, 2011 and 2013.” Preventing Chronic Disease 13 (August 4, 2016): 150564. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd13.150564.