Prospective associations of Tobacco Weight Control Beliefs with E-Cigarette Use Patterns in the PaTh Study.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the associations between tobacco weight control beliefs, body mass index (BMI), and e-cigarette use patterns among adolescents. The study uses data from the Population assessment of Tobacco and health (PaTh) study and employs a longitudinal design to examine the temporal nature of these associations. The reader will learn about the key demographic factors associated with tobacco weight control beliefs and the relationship between tobacco weight control beliefs, BMI, and e-cigarette use patterns.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the Population assessment of Tobacco and health (PaTh) study, which is a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of adolescents and adults in the United States.
* The study examines the associations between tobacco weight control beliefs, BMI, and e-cigarette use patterns among adolescents using data from Waves 1 and 2 of the PaTh study.
* The study defines e-cigarette use patterns into eight categories and uses multinomial regression to investigate associations between tobacco weight control beliefs, BMI, and e-cigarette use patterns.
* The study controls for demographic factors, including sex, age, race, ethnicity, ever use of combustible cigarettes, and ever use of other tobacco products.
* The study finds that higher BMI is associated with greater tobacco weight control beliefs cross-sectionally and prospectively.
* The study also finds that tobacco weight control beliefs may mediate the association between higher BMI and e-cigarette use.
* The study suggests that tobacco prevention programs should assess for tobacco weight control beliefs and provide psychoeducation about the harms of e-cigarettes and alternatives for healthy weight control behaviors.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of examining the associations between tobacco weight control beliefs, BMI, and e-cigarette use patterns among adolescents. The study finds that higher BMI is associated with greater tobacco weight control beliefs cross-sectionally and prospectively, and that tobacco weight control beliefs may mediate the association between higher BMI and e-cigarette use. The study suggests that tobacco prevention programs should assess for tobacco weight control beliefs and provide psychoeducation about the harms of e-cigarettes and alternatives for healthy weight control behaviors. The findings of this study could inform regulatory measures aimed at preventing e-cigarette use among adolescents, particularly those who have higher BMI and tobacco weight control beliefs.

Mason TB, Tackett aP, Kechter a, Leventhal aM. Prospective associations of Tobacco Weight Control Beliefs with E-Cigarette Use Patterns in the PaTh Study. Substance use & misuse. 2022;57(10):1581-1586. doi:10.1080/10826084.2022.2096240