E-Cigarette Device Types Used by Middle School Students and High School Students-The U.S., 2019.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data from 2019, focusing on the prevalence of different e-cigarette device types used by middle and high school students. The study also examines demographic characteristics and tobacco use patterns across users of closed (i.e., pre-filled pods/cartridges and disposables) versus open (re-fillable tanks and mod systems) device types. This summary will highlight the key points of the study design, major findings, and the main message of the text.

Key Points:

* The study is based on the 2019 NYTS, a cross-sectional, school-based, self-administered questionnaire for U.S. high school and middle school students.
* The analysis focuses on 3,608 middle school and high school student current (past 30-day) e-cigarette users with data on type of e-cigarette used.
* E-cigarette device types were classified as closed devices (i.e., disposable e-cigarettes or e-cigarettes that use pre-filled pods or cartridges) or open devices (i.e., e-cigarettes with a re-fillable tank or a mod system).
* Among current youth e-cigarette users in 2019, approximately half (54.0%) used e-cigarettes with pre-filled pods or cartridges most often, 24.3% used e-cigarettes with a re-fillable tank most often, 10.1% used mod systems most often, and 2.6% used disposable e-cigarettes most often.
* High school students were more likely to use closed devices, whereas middle school students were more likely to use open devices.
* Users of closed devices were more likely to be female, started using e-cigarettes at age 13 or older, and were exclusive e-cigarette users.
* Among exclusive e-cigarette users, those who reported using a flavored e-cigarette were more likely to use a closed device most often.
* The study highlights the need for regulatory actions aimed at combating the increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use in youth, especially focusing on flavored products.

Main Message:
The study emphasizes the importance of understanding the types of e-cigarette products used by youth to inform regulatory actions. The findings indicate that most students used closed device types most often, especially e-cigarettes with pre-filled pods/cartridges. The use of flavors and some tobacco use patterns differed by device type. These insights can help inform e-cigarette product review, future enforcement priorities, and the development of potential product standards.

Anic G, Cullen KA, Gardner LD, Liu ST. E-Cigarette Device Types Used by Middle School Students and High School Students-The U.S., 2019. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. 2021;69(3):515-518. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.001