Who is using and why: Prevalence and perceptions of using and not using electronic cigarettes in a statewide survey of adults.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among Minnesota adults. The study aims to present the prevalence of ever and current use of e-cigarettes, report the reasons for trying e-cigarettes and not wanting to try them, and classify e-cigarette ever users into representative profiles using a latent class analysis (LCA). The findings of this study can inform future public policies regarding e-cigarette use.

Key Points:

* The study used data from the 2018 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS), a series of repeated cross-sectional telephone surveys conducted to collect general health and tobacco-related information from a random sample of Minnesota adults.
* The prevalence of ever and current use of e-cigarettes among Minnesota adults was 20.7% and 4.6%, respectively. Use varied notably by age and smoking status.
* The reasons given for using e-cigarettes varied by smoking status. Curiosity was the top reason for all groups except recent former smokers, for whom cutting down or quitting other tobacco products was primary.
* Most smokers discontinuing e-cigarettes preferred cigarettes, and four-fifths of smokers who never tried e-cigarettes lacked interest.
* From the LCA, four profiles of e-cigarette users were evident: young adult experimenters, curious adults, smokers trying to quit cigarettes, and dual users.

Main Message:
The findings of this study indicate that innovative higher nicotine content devices have sustained interest in e-cigarettes, especially among young adults and smokers with a goal of cutting down or quitting smoking. Future regulations and communication should focus on reducing e-cigarette use among young adult nonsmokers. It is crucial to ensure that public policies strike a balance between reducing the harm of tobacco for smokers and preventing the risk of nicotine exposure among never smokers.

Boyle RG, Richter S, Helgertz S. Who is using and why: Prevalence and perceptions of using and not using electronic cigarettes in a statewide survey of adults. Addictive behaviors reports. 2019;10:100227. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2019.100227