10 Sep Trends in E-Cigarette Use Among US Adults

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Obisesan

Funmi (Abiru) Obisesan, MD, MPH
Postdoctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
Postdoctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: E-cigarettes are conceived by many individuals to be less harmful than combustible cigarettes, resulting in their use among young individuals and other vulnerable subpopulations. The recent outbreak of EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product-use associated lung injuries) which was directly associated with e-cigarette use, and the rapidly evolving e-cigarette market, as well as regulations concerning them necessitates the need for up-to-date analyses of e-cigarette use trends. 

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? 

• The prevalence of e-cigarette use among adults in the United States has increased significantly from 4.5% in 2016 to 5.4% in 2018, translating to about 11.2 million and  13.7 million adults in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
• The largest increase in use across the years was observed among the youngest age group of 18-24-year-olds and among students. There was also a significant increase in use among never-smokers (individuals who have never smoked combustible cigarettes).
• Among those who currently use e-cigarettes, a larger proportion reported daily use across the years.
• Individuals who used e-cigarettes were also more likely to exhibit other health risk behaviors including marijuana use, heavy alcohol use and use of other tobacco products. 

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: The increase in daily use of e-cigarettes suggests that more individuals are becoming addicted to e-cigarettes rather than just experimenting with them, reflecting the addictive potential of e-cigarettes and making the increased uptake among tobacco-naïve individuals even more concerning. This is very important to note particularly for the youth and for individuals who currently use or are considering using them as a means of experimentation.

The increase in e-cigarette use among individuals with other health-risk behaviors, especially marijuana use is also concerning particularly in light of the outbreak of EVALI that has been linked to the vaping of tetrahydrocannabinoids.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: The fast-evolving e-cigarette landscape requires the continued monitoring of trends concerning their use patterns. Continued research on their potential health effects and their association with respiratory illnesses are particularly important given the outbreaks of EVALI and the more recent Covid-19 pandemic.

We have no additional disclosures outside what is reported in the manuscript.

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Last Updated on September 10, 2020 by Marie Benz MD FAAD