Summary
Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the association between current e-cigarette use and regular cigarette smoking among U.S. youth using data from the Population assessment of Tobacco and health Study. The study aims to determine if current e-cigarette use among nonsmoking youth increases the risk of regular cigarette smoking later.
Key Points:
* The study uses data from the Population assessment of Tobacco and health Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of adults and youth in the U.S.
* The analysis is restricted to youth who were non-current cigarette users at Wave 1/2 and had complete information on current e-cigarette use.
* Current e-cigarette use is defined as past 30-day use, and regular cigarette smoking is defined as smoking on ≥20 days in the past 30 days.
* Covariates included age, sex, race/ethnicity, parent's education, sensation seeking, other tobacco product use, ever alcohol use, ever marijuana use, ever prescription drug abuse, lives with a tobacco user, susceptibility to cigarette smoking, and noticed cigarette health warning labels.
* Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between current e-cigarette use and regular cigarette smoking.
* The study found that current e-cigarette users had 5.0 (95% CI=1.9, 12.8) times higher odds of regular cigarette smoking in the 1-year progression model compared with non-current e-cigarette users.
* however, the association was not statistically significant in the 2-year progression model.
Main Message:
The study suggests that current e-cigarette use among U.S. youth is associated with higher odds of transitioning to regular cigarette smoking, likely reflecting robust transitions rather than experimentation. These results suggest that promoting e-cigarettes as a tobacco harm reduction strategy may have the unintended consequence of initiating youth cigarette smokers. Therefore, there is a need for careful consideration of e-cigarettes' harm reduction potential in society and for strong policy and regulatory efforts to protect the american youth.
Citation
Osibogun O, Bursac Z, Maziak W. E-Cigarette Use and Regular Cigarette Smoking among Youth: Population assessment of Tobacco and health Study (2013-2016). american journal of preventive medicine. 2020;58(5):657-665. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.01.003
