Summary
Introduction:
This text is a summary of a study examining the relationship between electronic cigarette use and progression to established smoking among adolescents who have already tried cigarettes. The study uses data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) survey to evaluate the association between e-cigarette use and progression to established smoking, past 30-day smoking, and current established smoking among adolescents who have tried cigarettes but are not yet established smokers.
Key Points:
* The study uses data from the PATH survey, a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the US.
* The study focuses on adolescents who have tried cigarettes but are not yet established smokers.
* The study examines the relationship between e-cigarette use and progression to established smoking, past 30-day smoking, and current established smoking.
* The study uses survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression models to adjust for smoking risk factors.
* The results show that e-cigarette use is positively associated with progression to current established smoking among adolescent cigarette experimenters.
* The association between e-cigarette use and progression to established smoking was not statistically significant for established smoking and past 30-day smoking.
* The study suggests that e-cigarettes do not divert from, and may encourage, cigarette smoking in this population.
Main Message:
The study highlights the potential for e-cigarettes to encourage progression to established smoking among adolescents who have already tried cigarettes. The results suggest that e-cigarettes may not be an effective harm reduction tool for this population, and instead may contribute to the ongoing problem of tobacco use among young people. Policymakers should consider this evidence when developing regulations around e-cigarette use and marketing, with a focus on protecting young people from the potential harms associated with e-cigarette use.
Citation
Chaffee, Benjamin W., Shannon Lea Watkins, and Stanton A. Glantz. “Electronic Cigarette Use and Progression From Experimentation to Established Smoking.” Pediatrics 141, no. 4 (April 1, 2018): e20173594. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3594.
