Who are the young users of tobacco products? Prevalence and characteristics of Danish adolescents who have either smoked cigarettes, used alternative tobacco products, or used both.

Introduction:
This summary will provide an overview of a research study examining the prevalence and characteristics of Danish adolescents who have used tobacco products. The study focuses on different tobacco use patterns, including exclusive use of cigarettes, exclusive use of alternative tobacco products (aTPs), and use of both cigarettes and aTPs. The summary will highlight the study design, key findings, and main message.

Key Points:

* The study used self-reported data from 2,307 Danish students in 2017, with a response rate of 86%.
* The tobacco use patterns included exclusive use of cigarettes, exclusive use of aTPs (e-cigarettes, snus, or waterpipe), and use of both cigarettes and aTPs.
* The study found that 13.2% of students had used one or more tobacco products, with 2.0% having exclusively smoked cigarettes, 7.2% having exclusively used aTPs, and 4.0% having used both.
* all included characteristics (families’ and friends’ smoking, binge drinking, and well-being characteristics) were associated with using any tobacco product.
* Students with friends who smoked, had been binge drinking, and had low well-being at home had notably higher odds for having both smoked cigarettes and used aTPs compared to the other tobacco use patterns.
* aTPs were popular among Danish adolescents compared with conventional cigarettes.
* adolescents who had used both conventional cigarettes and aTPs constituted a more risk-averse group in special need of prevention efforts.
* Gender did not markedly influence the results.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is the need for prevention efforts among adolescents to focus on both the health risks of conventional cigarette smoking and aTPs. The findings suggest that students with diverse tobacco use patterns share similar characteristics, but those who have used both cigarettes and aTPs may require special attention due to their higher risk behavior. These results can help inform smoking preventive interventions aiming at reducing the incidence of tobacco use among the youngest adolescents.

Kjeld SG, andersen S, andersen a, et al. Who are the young users of tobacco products? Prevalence and characteristics of Danish adolescents who have either smoked cigarettes, used alternative tobacco products, or used both. Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift : NaT. 2021;38(6):555-572. doi:10.1177/14550725211027687