Longitudinal transitions in adolescent polytobacco use across waves 1-4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study.

Introduction:
This article summarizes a research study examining transitions in adolescent polytobacco use across four waves of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. The study aimed to identify patterns of polytobacco use and measure transitions between patterns over time. The findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of adolescent tobacco use and can inform regulatory efforts.

Key Points:

* The study identified six latent classes of tobacco use, including cigarette users, smokeless tobacco (SLT) users, e-cigarette users, cigarillo/poly-users, hookah/poly-users, and non-users.
* Cigarette users and SLT users tended to persist in their use over time, while e-cigarette users were more likely to transition to non-use or persist in their use over time.
* Non-users were most likely to transition to e-cigarette or cigarette users.
* Cigarillo/poly-users and hookah/poly-users displayed more variable transition patterns.
* Adolescents were more likely to transition to non-use if they were older (cigarette users, SLT users), younger (e-cigarette users), other race (SLT users), male (SLT users), or had less-educated parents (SLT users) compared with their counterparts.
* Hispanic (versus white) cigarette users were more likely to transition to non-use than to persist in this use.

Main Message:
The study suggests that patterns of tobacco use characterized by the use of single, specific products appear to be stable, particularly by late adolescence. In contrast, patterns characterized by polytobacco use appear to be more variable and may represent experimentation without specialization. The findings highlight the importance of regulatory measures targeting adolescent tobacco use, particularly among polytobacco users. Understanding transitions into more versus less risky patterns can inform regulatory efforts to reduce adolescent tobacco use.

Blank MD, Romm KF, Childers MG, Douglas AE, Dino G, Bray BC. Longitudinal transitions in adolescent polytobacco use across waves 1-4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2023;118(4):727-738. doi:10.1111/add.16095