Summary
Introduction: This manuscript presents the results of a study examining the prospective associations of e-cigarette use with cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and nonmedical prescription drug (NMPD) use among US adolescents. The study uses data from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, a nationally representative annual survey of 12th graders in the US. The analytic sample included 717 participants who completed follow-up surveys one year later.
Key Points:
* adolescents who reported past 30-day e-cigarette use at age 18 were more likely to report past 30-day cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and NMPD use at age 19.
* In multivariable longitudinal analysis, past 30-day e-cigarette users at age 18 were more likely to report past 30-day cigarette, marijuana, and NMPD use at age 19.
* The study found prospective associations of e-cigarette use with NMPD use and incidence of NMPD use one year later.
* The study controlled for sex, race/ethnicity, region, parent education, and college plans in multivariable analyses.
* The study also controlled for other substance use at baseline in prospective analyses.
* The study had a 39% response rate and used sample weights and follow-up attrition weights to account for potential bias due to attrition.
Main Message: This study suggests that e-cigarette use may be an indicator of future substance use risk in young adulthood. adolescent e-cigarette users may benefit from secondary prevention efforts to mitigate this risk. The study also highlights the importance of examining the prospective association of e-cigarette use with various substance use outcomes to understand the full public health significance of e-cigarette use.
Citation
Evans-Polce RJ, Patrick ME, McCabe SE, Miech Ra. Prospective associations of e-cigarette use with cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and nonmedical prescription drug use among US adolescents. Drug and alcohol dependence. 2020;216:108303. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108303
