A biomonitoring assessment of secondhand exposures to electronic cigarette emissions

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of tobacco product use among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth in the United States, using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3 (2015-2016). The study aims to describe the patterns of tobacco use, including ever use, past 30-day use, frequency, and age at first use, among SGM youth aged 14-17 years, stratified by transgender identity, sex, and sexual identity.

Key Points:

* The study used data from Wave 3 of the PATH Study, which included 7,772 youth aged 14-17 years.
* Participants were stratified by transgender identity, sex, and sexual identity to describe tobacco product use.
* Transgender youth were more likely to report ever use of tobacco products compared with nontransgender youth.
* Female sexual minority youth were more likely to report ever use of electronic nicotine products, cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and past 30-day use of electronic nicotine products, cigarettes, and cigars compared with straight female youth.
* Male sexual minority youth were more likely to report ever use of cigarettes compared with straight male youth.
* The study found that sexual minority youth and transgender youth are more likely to use tobacco products compared with their nonminority peers.
* Similar to patterns among adults, this is especially true for female sexual minority youth.
* The information is useful for developing communication and education efforts targeted to these high-risk groups to prevent youth tobacco initiation.

Main Message:
The study highlights the significant disparities in tobacco product use among SGM youth, particularly among transgender youth and female sexual minority youth. These findings underscore the importance of developing targeted communication and education efforts to prevent youth tobacco initiation in these high-risk groups. The study emphasizes the need for further research to understand the underlying factors contributing to these disparities and to develop effective interventions to reduce tobacco use among SGM youth.

Johnson, Jona M., Luke P. Naeher, Xiaozhong Yu, Connie Sosnoff, Lanqing Wang, Stephen L. Rathbun, Víctor R. De Jesús, et al. “A Biomonitoring Assessment of Secondhand Exposures to Electronic Cigarette Emissions.” International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 222, no. 5 (June 2019): 816–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.04.013.