Summary
Introduction:
This text is a research paper that aims to understand patterns of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and investigate the number of days out of the past 30 days when adults had used e-cigarettes. The paper also discusses the implications of using different definitions of e-cigarette prevalence.
Key Points:
* The study uses data from the 2014 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey, a random digit dial population survey.
* The survey questions include ever using e-cigarettes, number of days used in the past 30 days, and reasons for use.
* Smoking status was determined by combustible cigarette use.
* The distribution of e-cigarette use frequency was visually inspected for current, former, and never smokers with any 30-day e-cigarette use.
* Different definitions of current use were compared.
* Infrequent users (defined as using e-cigarettes 5 or fewer days in the past 30 days) were the majority of current and never smokers, but fewer than half of former smokers.
* Infrequent users were more likely to cite curiosity and less likely to cite quitting/cutting down other tobacco use as reasons for use.
Main Message:
The paper highlights the importance of using a consistent and accurate definition of e-cigarette prevalence in order to effectively monitor and understand the public health impact of e-cigarette use. The authors suggest that defining prevalence as any use in the past 30 days may include experimenters unlikely to continue use, while defining prevalence as more than 5 days out of the past 30 days may be a more accurate measure of regular e-cigarette use. Overall, the paper emphasizes the need for greater consistency and standardization in the measurement of e-cigarette use in order to inform effective tobacco control policies and interventions.
Citation
Amato, Michael S, Raymond G Boyle, and David Levy. “How to Define E-Cigarette Prevalence? Finding Clues in the Use Frequency Distribution.” Tobacco Control 25, no. e1 (April 2016): e24–29. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2015-052236.
