E-Cigarette Use Among Adolescents Not Susceptible to Using Cigarettes

Introduction:
This text is a study on e-cigarette use among adolescents who are not susceptible to using cigarettes. The study examines correlates of e-cigarette use and susceptibility among high school students who have never smoked cigarettes and are not attitudinally susceptible to using cigarettes. The study aims to provide insights into how to prevent initiation of e-cigarette use, particularly among adolescents not susceptible to smoking cigarettes.

Key Points:

* The study used data from the 2015 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey (NCYTS) and restricted the analysis to students in grades 9 through 12 who were not susceptible to smoking cigarettes.
* The study defined progression of e-cigarette use as one of four categories along a continuum: never e-cigarette user not susceptible to e-cigarette use, never e-cigarette user susceptible to e-cigarette use, ever e-cigarette user, and current e-cigarette user.
* The study found that increasing perceived harm of e-cigarettes was associated with lower odds of susceptibility to using e-cigarettes and current use of e-cigarettes.
* Exposure to e-cigarette vapor in indoor or outdoor public places was positively associated with susceptibility to using e-cigarettes and current e-cigarette use.
* The study found no significant association between self-reported exposure to Internet advertisements about tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) and e-cigarette use.
* The study found no association between exposures to e-cigarettes at home and e-cigarette susceptibility or use.
* The study identified several modifiable factors associated with e-cigarette susceptibility and use among this priority population.

Main Message:
The study suggests that to prevent initiation of e-cigarette use, particularly among adolescents not susceptible to smoking cigarettes, educational campaigns could target harm perceptions associated with e-cigarettes. Additionally, regulations that limit adolescents' exposure to e-cigarettes in public places may decrease e-cigarette use by nonsusceptible adolescents. The study's findings are crucial in informing public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing adolescent e-cigarette use.

Kowitt, Sarah D., Amira Osman, Leah M. Ranney, Courtney Heck, and Adam O. Goldstein. “E-Cigarette Use Among Adolescents Not Susceptible to Using Cigarettes.” Preventing Chronic Disease 15 (February 1, 2018): 170368. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.170368.