Summary
Introduction:
This text summarizes a quantitative research study published in the american Journal of health Promotion, examining changes in harm perception for e-cigarettes among US youth from 2014 to 2019. The study also explores the association between harm perception for e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes among youth during the same period.
Key Points:
* The study used data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) from 2014 to 2019, with a total of 110,876 participants.
* The percentage of youth who perceived e-cigarettes as harmless decreased from 17.2% in 2014 to 5.8% in 2019.
* From 2015 to 2018, the percentage of smokers who perceived e-cigarettes as a little harmful increased (33.6% to 41.2%).
* The positive association between harm perception for e-cigarettes and harm perception for cigarettes became stronger over time.
* In 2014, the odds of perceiving e-cigarettes as harmless relative to very harmful were 19.55 times greater for youth who perceived cigarettes as harmless compared to those who perceived cigarettes as very harmful. These odds increased to 77.65 times in 2019.
* The study controlled for smoking status and e-cigarette use, and multinomial logistic regression models were estimated for each year.
* The indirect mediating effect of smoking status and e-cigarette use partially explained the relationship between harm perception for cigarettes and harm perception for e-cigarettes.
Main Message:
The study suggests that a stronger relationship between perceived harm of cigarettes and e-cigarettes has developed over time among US youth. Interventions to prevent smoking have the potential to impact e-cigarette use, highlighting the importance of educating youth about the potential health risks associated with both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
Citation
Namwase aS, Gyimah Ea, Carothers BJ, Combs TB, harris JK. Changes in harm Perception for E-Cigarettes among Youth in the United States, 2014-2019. american journal of health promotion : aJhP. 2023;37(4):471-477. doi:10.1177/08901171221133805
