Patterns and frequency of current e-cigarette use in United States adults.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the patterns and correlates of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use frequency in a national sample of US adults. The study aims to identify the prevalence of e-cigarette use and the factors associated with different frequencies of use. Understanding these patterns can inform regulatory decisions and public health interventions.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESaRC-III) collected between 2012 and 2013.
* The sample includes 36,277 US adults, and e-cigarette use status is categorized into current, past, and never users.
* Current e-cigarette users are further classified into infrequent, moderate, and daily users based on their frequency of use in the past year.
* The study examines sociodemographic characteristics, other tobacco/drug use, and psychiatric disorders associated with e-cigarette use status and frequency.
* The results indicate that current e-cigarette use is low in adults (1.4%), and among current e-cigarette users, 38.1% are infrequent users, 32.9% are moderate users, and 29.0% are daily users.
* Compared to infrequent users, daily e-cigarette users are more likely to be male, older, and not current cigarette smokers or alcohol drinkers.
* Moderate users are more likely to be female, current cigarette smokers, and fall into the 25-34 age group.
* Both moderate and daily e-cigarette users have a higher prevalence of current extra-medical opioid use compared to infrequent users.

Main Message:
This study highlights the importance of understanding the patterns and correlates of e-cigarette use frequency in the US adult population. The findings suggest that daily e-cigarette use is associated with different sociodemographic and behavioral factors than infrequent or moderate use. These results can inform regulatory decisions and public health interventions aimed at reducing the potential harms of e-cigarette use. additionally, the correlation between more frequent e-cigarette use and opioid use highlights the need for further research to understand the relationship between these substances.

Parker Ma, Villanti aC. Patterns and frequency of current e-cigarette use in United States adults. Substance Use & Misuse. 2019;54(12):2075-2081. doi:10.1080/10826084.2019.1626433