E-cigarette use frequency and motivations among current users in middle school.

Introduction:
This article presents a study on the frequency and motivations of e-cigarette use among middle school students in Mexico. The study aims to understand the factors associated with e-cigarette use frequency and motivations for use among more regular users in a low- and middle-income country where e-cigarettes are banned. The study's findings can inform regulatory measures and public health policies to prevent e-cigarette use among youth.

Key Points:

* The study used data from a school-based survey of 57 public middle schools from the three largest cities in Mexico.
* The primary analyses were confined to those who used e-cigarettes in the prior 30 days.
* Censored binomial models for truncated distributions were estimated, regressing lifetime and past month frequency of use on participant sociodemographics, other substance use, technophilia, characteristics of e-cigarettes used, and family and friends use of nicotine products.
* Being male, using drugs, higher technophilia, and having a family member who uses e-cigarettes and cigarettes were associated with more frequent use in the last month.
* Use of fruit and combined flavors had used e-cigarettes more often in their lifetime compared to students who used mint/menthol flavors.
* Curiosity was the most common reason for using e-cigarettes, followed by using e-cigarettes in places where smoking is banned, to smoke fewer cigarettes, to quit smoking cigarettes, and other reasons.
* Students who reported using e-cigarettes for reasons other than curiosity used them more frequently in the last month and over their lifetimes.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of understanding the factors associated with e-cigarette use frequency and motivations for use among more regular users in low- and middle-income countries where e-cigarettes are banned. The findings suggest that some risk factors for more frequent e-cigarette use among Mexican youth are similar to other countries, such as having relatives who use e-cigarettes, using drugs, and use of fruit flavors. however, the study also found a positive association between the novel measure of technophilia with frequency of e-cigarette use. The appeal of flavors, in particular, suggests the importance of reducing youth access to flavored products to impede product initiation and progression. The study's findings can inform regulatory measures and public health policies to prevent e-cigarette use among youth in Mexico and other low- and middle-income countries.

Zavala-arciniega L, Lozano P, Kollath-Cattano C, et al. E-cigarette use frequency and motivations among current users in middle school. Drug and alcohol dependence. 2019;204:107585. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107585