E-cigarette Use among Middle and high School Students - United States, 2020.

Introduction:
This text is a summary of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug administration (FDa) on e-cigarette use among middle and high school students in the United States in 2020. The report provides data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use, device and flavor types, and the impact of regulatory policies.

Key Points:

* The study found that in 2020, 19.6% of high school students and 4.7% of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use.
* among current e-cigarette users, 82.9% used flavored e-cigarettes, including 84.7% of high school users and 73.9% of middle school users.
* The most commonly used device type among high school and middle school students was prefilled pods or cartridges.
* among current users of flavored prefilled pods or cartridges, the most commonly used flavor types were fruit, mint, menthol, and candy, desserts, or other sweets.
* Disposable e-cigarette use increased significantly among high school and middle school students from 2019 to 2020.
* The study also found that menthol e-cigarette use was prominent, including among nearly one half of flavored prefilled pod or cartridge users and one quarter of flavored disposable product users.

Main Message:
The study highlights the continued high prevalence of e-cigarette use among middle and high school students, with a significant number of users reporting flavored e-cigarette use. The increase in disposable e-cigarette use and prominent menthol e-cigarette use are concerning and underscore the need for comprehensive implementation of evidence-based strategies at the national, state, and local levels, in coordination with FDa regulation, to prevent and reduce youth tobacco product use. The study also emphasizes the importance of addressing factors driving youth e-cigarette use, including the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, and the need for policies such as the FDa's enforcement policy and state and community restrictions on all flavored e-cigarette sales, including menthol.

Wang TW, Neff LJ, Park-Lee E, Ren C, Cullen Ka, King Ba. E-cigarette Use among Middle and high School Students - United States, 2020. MMWR Morbidity and mortality weekly report. 2020;69(37):1310-1312. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6937e1