Further investigation of gateway effects using the PaTh study.

Based on the provided context, the authors of a study are addressing concerns raised by a reviewer named Dr. Long regarding the possibility of "over-adjustment" in their analysis of the association between prior e-cigarette use and subsequent cigarette use. The authors defend their approach, stating that they present results of their analyses and summarize results of similar analyses by others, without giving opinions. They also mention that they give consideration to all relevant evidence comparable to theirs from other databases and from the PaTh study. They find it unhelpful when the reviewer merely states that there are more appropriate papers without specifying them. The authors believe they provide facts and not opinions, apart from discussing limitations.

In summary, the authors are defending their study design and analytical plan against the reviewer's concerns, stating that they present findings without expressing personal opinions, and they consider all relevant evidence available. They request the reviewer to be more specific in their feedback for improvement.The study conducted a meta-analysis of 15 cohort studies examining the relationship between prior e-cigarette use and subsequent cigarette smoking, including nine studies from a 2017 meta-analysis by Soneji et al. and six additional studies. The results showed a significant association between prior e-cigarette use and subsequent cigarette smoking, with the unadjusted odds ratio being 4.59 (95% CI: 3.60 to 5.85) and the adjusted odds ratio being 2.92 (95% CI: 2.30 to 3.71). The study also notes the possibility of "over-adjustment" in previous research and recommends a thorough examination of appropriate papers, particularly those focusing on teenagers. The authors clarified the study design and analytical plan of their current study, addressing any overlaps with previous articles by summarizing the details instead of releasing no specific information.

Lee PN, Fry JS. Further investigation of gateway effects using the PaTh study. F1000Research. 2020;9:607. doi:10.12688/f1000research.24289.2