E-cigarette use among high school students—a cross-sectional study of associated risk factors for the use of flavour-only and nicotine vapes.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of a cross-sectional study examining the prevalence and risk factors associated with e-cigarette use among australian high school students. The study differentiates between the use of flavour-only and nicotine vapes. The text highlights the importance of understanding the profiles of adolescents who use different types of e-cigarettes to enable appropriate support and intervention strategies.

Key Points:

* The study involved 855 Grade 12 students from nine australian schools who completed a self-report survey in 2020.
* The study found that 74% of students had never used an e-cigarette, 12.5% had used flavour-only vapes, and 13.5% had used nicotine vapes.
* Male gender, frequent alcohol use, and cigarette smoking were significantly associated with e-cigarette use, particularly for vaping e-cigarettes containing nicotine.
* There was no significant gender difference in having tried nicotine vapes, and there is a potential causal pathway where cigarettes could be a 'gateway' substance to e-cigarette use.
* The study found no significant association between e-cigarette use and depressive or anxiety symptoms.
* The study's cross-sectional design limits the ability to infer causality, and the measurement of e-cigarette use was insensitive to the frequency of use.
* The study's limitation to students attending independent schools and the use of an indirect index of socioeconomic status are also limitations.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of understanding the risk factors associated with e-cigarette use among adolescents. The findings suggest that males and teens reporting frequent alcohol or cigarette use have higher odds of vaping. The study also found that in adolescents who had used an e-cigarette, half had used a nicotine vape, indicating that this may be a high-risk group. however, the study's limitations, such as the cross-sectional design and insensitive measurement of e-cigarette use, suggest that further research is needed to establish causality and better understand the impact of e-cigarette use on adolescent health. Overall, the study emphasizes the need for appropriate support and intervention strategies to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among high school students.

Leung J, Tisdale C, Choi J, et al. E-cigarette use among high school students—a cross-sectional study of associated risk factors for the use of flavour-only and nicotine vapes. International Journal of Mental health and addiction. Published online June 26, 2023. doi:10.1007/s11469-023-01099-7