Smoking, e-cigarettes and the effect on respiratory symptoms among a population sample of youth: Retrospective cohort study.

Introduction:

This text is a summary of a research paper on the relationship between tobacco use, e-cigarette use, and respiratory symptoms in youth. The study aims to understand the association between e-cigarette use and self-reported respiratory symptoms among youth and to assess the interaction associated with the dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes on respiratory symptoms.

Key Points:

* The study used a cross-sectional design and collected data from the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit Y outh and Y oung adult Research Registration Panel.
* The primary exposure variable was pack-equivalent years, a novel measure of vaping exposure, and the outcome variable was the self-reported occurrence of adverse respiratory symptoms.
* The study found that vaping is associated with an increased risk of reporting respiratory symptoms among never smoking youth and non-daily ever cigarette smokers.
* The study also found that dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes was associated with more respiratory symptoms compared to vaping alone, but lower compared to cigarette smoking alone.
* The study controlled for demographic characteristics, use of cannabis and alcohol, and survey date.
* The study examined the effect of vaping device type after controlling for vaping exposure and found that those using pod-style devices were more likely to have more respiratory symptoms.
* The study highlights the need for further research on the health impacts of e-cigarette use among youth and the importance of discouraging e-cigarette use among non-smokers.

Main Message:

The study provides important insights into the relationship between tobacco use, e-cigarette use, and respiratory symptoms in youth. The findings emphasize the need for regulatory measures to prevent e-cigarette use among non-smokers and to minimize the health impacts of e-cigarette use among youth. The study also underscores the importance of continued research on the health impacts of e-cigarette use and dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Overall, the study highlights the need for public health interventions to address the rising trend of e-cigarette use among youth and its potential health impacts.

Chaiton M, Pienkowski M, Musani I, et al. Smoking, e-cigarettes and the effect on respiratory symptoms among a population sample of youth: Retrospective cohort study. Tobacco induced diseases. 2023;21:08. doi:10.18332/tid/156839