E-Cigarette Use and Future Cigarette Initiation among Never Smokers and Relapse among Former Smokers in the PaTh Study.

Introduction:
This text presents a study examining the relationship between e-cigarette use and future combustible cigarette smoking among adult distant former combustible cigarette smokers and never smokers in the Population assessment of Tobacco and health (PaTh) Study. The study aimed to answer two research questions: (1) Do former smokers who used e-cigarettes at baseline have higher rates of relapsing to combustible cigarette smoking than former combustible cigarette smokers who never used e-cigarettes? and (2) Do never smokers who used e-cigarettes at baseline have higher rates of combustible cigarette initiation and current combustible cigarette smoking than never smokers who never used e-cigarettes?

Key Points:

* The study used data from the PaTh Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal study, and included adults who were distant former combustible cigarette smokers or never smokers.
* Distant former combustible cigarette smokers who reported e-cigarette past 30-day use and ever use were more likely to have relapsed to current combustible cigarette smoking at follow-up.
* Never smokers who reported e-cigarette past 30-day use and ever use were more likely to have initiated combustible cigarette smoking at follow-up.
* adults who reported past 30-day e-cigarette use were more likely to have transitioned from never smokers to current combustible cigarette smokers.
* The study controlled for several potential confounders, including demographic variables and psychosocial predictors of smoking risk.
* The results suggest that e-cigarette use is associated with an increased risk of future combustible cigarette smoking among both adult distant former combustible cigarette smokers and never smokers.
* The study's findings have implications for tobacco control policies and counseling practices, highlighting the need to consider the potential risks of e-cigarette use in addition to any potential harm-reduction benefits.

Main Message:
The study provides important evidence of the relationship between e-cigarette use and future combustible cigarette smoking among adult distant former combustible cigarette smokers and never smokers. The findings suggest that e-cigarette use may increase the risk of combustible cigarette smoking, with potential negative public health implications. The results highlight the need for tobacco control policies and counseling practices to consider the potential risks of e-cigarette use and to take a cautious approach to their promotion and availability.

McMillen R, Klein JD, Wilson K, Winickoff JP, Tanski S. E-Cigarette Use and Future Cigarette Initiation among Never Smokers and Relapse among Former Smokers in the PaTh Study. Public health reports (Washington, DC : 1974). 2019;134(5):528-536. doi:10.1177/0033354919864369