Summary
Introduction:
This article examines the associations between childhood executive control (EC) and adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette use, taking into account poverty level. The study aims to identify potential early intervention targets to prevent health-compromising outcomes related to nicotine use during adolescence.
Key Points:
* Participants were 313 children (51% female, 64% European American) recruited in a small city in the Midwestern United States, followed into adolescence between ages 14 and 16 years.
* EC was measured in the laboratory with performance-based tasks when children were age 5 years, 3 months.
* Self-reports of cigarette onset and e-cigarette onset were obtained in adolescence (Mage = 15.65 years).
* Overall, 24% of the sample was at or below the poverty line.
* Cigarette onset was higher in the poverty group (17%) than in the non-poverty (8%) group, but e-cigarette onset did not differ by poverty level (36% poverty versus 38% non-poverty).
* Multiple group structural equation modeling revealed a statistically significant group difference such that EC ability was a significant negative predictor of e-cigarette onset for poverty but not for non-poverty youth.
* A similar group difference was evident as a trend for cigarette onset.
Main Message:
The study demonstrates that EC ability is an essential factor in preventing adolescent e-cigarette use, particularly for children living in poverty. As EC has been shown to be modifiable, early interventions to improve EC for children living in poverty might help prevent adolescent e-cigarette onset. This finding is crucial for developing targeted interventions and public health policies addressing the growing issue of e-cigarette use among youth.
Citation
Alex Mason W, Patwardhan I, Fleming CB, et al. Associations of childhood executive control with adolescent cigarette and E-cigarette use: Tests of moderation by poverty level. Addictive behaviors. 2021;119:106923. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106923
